Craftsmanship: The Value of Authenticity in an Automated Age
Posted on February 17, 2026
by Amy H
Speed! Convenience! Disposability! Mediocrity! Despair! Has Temu sent something that will fill the void in my soul yet? No? Help!
Next-day shipping is handy and all, but increasingly it seems like people are rediscovering the value of craft — of putting time and energy into creating worthwhile and useful things that will last. Transcending disposable/throw-away culture is finally becoming a goal for more and more of us: possibly bad news for fast fashion retailers and online consumer goods marketplaces, but maybe good news for humanity? Until we find out, here are a few great books on how to think about and contribute to this vital effort.
ingrained by Callum Robinson
Eldest son of a master woodworker, Callum Robinson spent his childhood absorbing craft lessons in his father's workshop and eventually becoming his father's apprentice, helping to create exquisite bespoke objects. Eventually he opened his own workshop, chasing ever bigger and more commercial projects absorbed by business meetings and bureaucracy. He lost touch with his roots, until the devastating loss of one major job threatened to bring it all crashing down. Faced with the end of everything he had worked so hard to build, he was forced to question what mattered most. In beautifully wrought prose, Callum tells the story of returning to the workshop and to the wood; to handcrafting furniture for people who will love it and then pass it on to the next generation--an antidote to a culture where everything seems so easily disposable. As he does so, he brings us closer to nature and the physical act of creation. Close enough to smell the sawdust, see the wood's grain and character, and feel the magic of furniture coming to life. Blending memoir and nature writing at its finest, this book is an uplifting meditation on the challenges of working with your hands in our modern age, on community, consumerism, and the beauty of the natural world--one that asks us to see our local trees, and our own wooden objects, in a new and revelatory light.
cabin by Patrick Hutchison
A memoir of the author's journey from an office job to restoring a cabin in the Pacific Northwest, based on his wildly popular Outside Magazine piece. Wit's End isn't just a state of mind. It's an address, for a run-down off-the-grid cabin, 120 shabby square feet of fixer-upper Patrick Hutchison purchased on a whim in the mossy woods of the Cascade Mountains in Washington state. To say Hutchison didn't know what he was getting into doesn't quite reach the scope of cluelessness of a man with nearly zero carpentry skills. But a lot can be learned over 7 years or renovations. CABIN is the story of those renovations, but it's also a love story; of a place, of possibilities, and of the process of renovation, of seeing what could be instead of what is. It is a book for those who know what it's like to bite off more than you can chew, or who desperately wish to...
shop class as soulcraft by Matthew B. Crawford
In this wise and often funny book, a philosopher/mechanic systematically destroys the pretensions of the high-prestige workplace and makes an irresistible case for working with one's hands. With wit and humor, the author deftly mixes the details of his own experience as a tradesman and then proprietor of a motorcycle repair shop with more philosophical ideas and musings.
craeft by Alex Langlands
In the midst of a seemingly endless supply of mass-manufactured products, we find ourselves nostalgic for products bearing the mark of authenticity-hand-made furniture, artisan breads, craft beers, and other goods produced by human hands. What often goes unnoticed is the transformation of our understanding of craft-or rather, craft-in the wake of industrialization. Archaeologist and medieval historian Alexander Langlands argues that our modern understanding of craft only skims the surface. His journeys from his home in Wales have taken him along the Atlantic seaboard of Europe, from Spain through France and England to Scotland and Iceland in search of the lost meaning of craft. Reaching as far back as the Neolithic period, he combines deep history with scientific analyses and personal anecdotes.
the art of the interesting by Lorraine Besser-Jones
Traditionally, philosophers have seen "Living The Good Life" as an equation: Good Life = Happiness + Meaning. But, if it's really that simple, why don't more of us feel like we've achieved it? Emerging research in psychological and philosophical circles is showing us that there is more to the good life than the current-and even ancient-conversation suggests, and the results are exhilarating. Researchers have identified the missing constant in this equation as psychological richness. Lorraine Besser, a founding investigator in these studies, calls this "The Interesting." Put simply, "The Interesting" is an experience that captivates you, engages you, helps you let go of whatever is holding you back from fully engaging in the world around you. It's different for everyone, and everyone can obtain and strengthen the skills necessary to access it. The agency we have in making our lives psychologically rich is both empowering and exciting. Perfect for devotees of Ryan Holliday, Katherine May, and Gretchen Rubin, Besser's groundbreaking manifesto marries a thoughtful approach with real world applications. She offers delightful stories, tools, and mindsets we can use to "keep it interesting" as we reach toward fuller, more satisfying lives
the craftsman by Richard Sennett
Craftsmanship, says Richard Sennett, names the basic human impulse to do a job well for its own sake, and good craftsmanship involves developing skills and focusing on the work rather than ourselves. The computer programmer, the doctor, the artist, and even the parent and citizen all engage in a craftsman’s work. Sennett explores the work of craftsmen past and present, identifies deep connections between material consciousness and ethical values, and challenges ideas about what constitutes good work in today’s world. From ancient Roman brickmakers to Renaissance goldsmiths to the printing presses of Enlightenment Paris and the factories of industrial London; in the modern world he explores what experiences of good work are shared by computer programmers, nurses and doctors, musicians, glassblowers, and cooks. Unique in the scope of his thinking, Sennett expands previous notions of crafts and craftsmen and apprises us of the surprising extent to which we can learn about ourselves through the labor of making physical things.
custodians of wonder by Eliot Stein
A vivid look at 10 astonishing people who are maintaining some of the world's oldest and rarest cultural traditions. Eliot Stein has traveled the globe in search of remarkable people who are preserving some of our most extraordinary cultural rites. He meets the man saving the secret ingredient in Japan's 700-year-old original soy sauce recipe and learns how to make the world's rarest pasta from one of the only women alive who know how to make it. From shadowing Scandinavia's last night watchman to meeting a 27th-generation West African griot to tracking down Cuba's last official cigar factory "readers" more than a century after they spearheaded the fight for Cuban independence, Stein uncovers an almost lost world. Climbing through Peru's southern highlands, he encounters the last Inca bridge master who rebuilds a grass-woven bridge every year from the fabled Inca Road System. He befriends a British beekeeper who maintains a touching custom of "telling the bees" important news of the day. And he crunches through a German forest to find the official mailman of the only tree in the world with its own address - to which countless people from across the world have written in hopes of finding love. These are just some of the last custodians preserving age-old rites on the brink of disappearance against all odds.
the handmade life by Ramona Barry
No longer confined to the domain of the domestic, today craft is prized in almost every sphere of creative endeavor. This book serves as both inspiration and instruction manual for artists and hobbyists alike―modern creatives seeking new ideas and classic techniques. Organized by theme and featuring thirty-four techniques (such as origami and appliqué), each chapter inspires with the work of contemporary artisans, one big project, and five project ideas, and informs with a short historical overview of each medium, design notes and things to consider before getting started, tools and techniques illustrated with a combination of hand-drawn diagrams and photography, and lists of websites and other sources for further reading.
old-fashioned on purpose by Jill Winger
When the pandemic hit in 2020, flour and vegetable seeds flew off the shelves. But homesteader and entrepreneur Jill Winger believes these longings for sourdough bread and fresh veggies are more than a trend. As our society races toward progress, we've left something important behind. We are more connected than ever before, yet we re still feeling unfulfilled. In Old-Fashioned on Purpose, Winger shows how simplifying our lives and adopting retro skills such as gardening and handiwork can be the key to creating the happy and healthy life we're yearning for. Inside these pages, readers will learn: How to find joy in the kitchen (even if you hate to cook). Proven strategies for growing your own groceries. The surprising stress-relievers that can be found in your backyard. How to craft a more grounded routine and save money in the process. Clever tips and creative DIYs to help you embark on your old-fashioned journey. You don't have to live on a farm to cultivate a simpler life. This inspiring and practical book offers a powerful new sense of purpose, with plenty of tomatoes, chickens, and bread making along the way.
a craftsman's legacy by Eric Gorges
The host of PBS's A Craftsman's Legacy makes the case that the craftsman's way--the philosophy, the skills, and the mindset--can provide a blueprint for all of us in our increasingly hurried, disposable world. In this book he tells the stories and shares the collective wisdom of these modern-day makers while also celebrating the culture of all craftsmen. Gorges weaves the various stories together to explore the philosophical aspects of working with one's hands. In discussing his own experiences as an artisan, Gorges illustrates the therapeutic qualities of craftsmanship: finding solace in the rhythmic thrum of a potter's wheel to ease the pain of his mother's recent death, and how working in his garage offered him safe harbor from debilitating panic attacks. Digressions on the very real dangers of many of these jobs, the challenge of determining price, and the often circuitous path many artisans take before finding their place (as well as the role of failure in that path), satisfyingly round out the book. This is an impressive and emotionally rich appreciation of the work often taken for granted.
making a life by Melanie Falick
By profiling 30 creatives, the author explores how making by hand is the key to discovering one's passion--whether that means spinning natural fibers, carving a wooden bowl, or creating elaborate papercuts. Falick seeks answers to two basic questions: "Why do we make things by hand?" and "Why do we make them beautiful?" Falick's treasury, sumptuously photographed, will appeal to anyone who admires the people dedicated to making the world around them more meaningful and lovely.
building by Mark Ellison
Over the past forty years Mark Ellison has designed and constructed some of the most stunning marvels of architecture that you've never seen. He built a staircase that the famed architect Santiago Calatrava called a masterpiece. He worked on the iconic Sky House, which Interior Design named the best apartment of the decade. He's even worked on the homes of David Bowie, Robin Williams, and others whose names he cannot reveal. He is regarded by many as the best carpenter in New York. In Building, Ellison writes of the mastery that comes from doing something well for a long time, by taking you on a tour through the lofts, penthouses, and townhomes of New York's elite that he has transformed over the years-before they're camera-ready-and in a singular voice offers a window onto what he's learned about living meaningfully along the way. From staircases that would be deadly if built as designed, to algae eating snails boiled to escargot in a penthouse pond, and the deceptive complexity of "minimalist" interior design, Building exposes the messy wiring behind the pristine walls, features, and furnishings that grace the glossy pages of Architectural Digest, revealing the overrun budgets, scrapped blueprints, and last-minute demands that characterize life in the high-stakes world of luxury construction
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