The return of craftsmanship is something that we never tire of talking about here at
MicroShiner. Along with terroir and economics, craftsmanship is one of the tenants upon which this entire conversation is based. And it is a conversation whose volume is growing, at an ever increasing rate.
As Michael Williams, the principal behind
A Continuous Lean, points out, as interest in craft grows "people are also becoming more and more interested in actually making things - be it leather goods or food items." Why this might be is a great topic for debate, but the simple fact is that it is occurring, and outlets such as
MicroShiner are a testament.
Of course, this is not a monologue, and we aren't the only ones furthering such discussion. There are a number of resources on the web ready to fuel your particular brand of revolution, from voice of the
maker movement Make to that bastion of craft,
Etsy.
One source in particular that we enjoy is
Those Who Make, a collection of images, books, and videos curated by
Michael Ariel. Equal parts education and inspiration, Those Who Make is a great entry point for anyone wanting to get a feel for who and what the craft revolution is all about.
It is important to note the word "who" in this dialogue, as it is the "who" that truly makes all the difference. Machines the world over generate massive numbers of near flawless replicas, faster and with greater precision than any human ever could, but it is people who craft. The individual character they confer with every creation is impossible for a machine to mimic, and our desire to engage with such process much more than a fad. As Ken Denmead puts it,
This is about passionate hobbyists and artists, grass-roots innovators and what we used to call “mom and pop” businesses, all following a path of learning, creation, and sharing. Together they’re a movement. And a movement is not a fad.
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MicroShiner
