A More Malleable World
This phrase has been rattling around in my head for many years. I’m interested in what motivates people to make things and how it changes over time. I remember believing that I started making things because I needed them and couldn’t afford them, but that feels disingenuous now. Like the gardener who spends countless hours and dollars to get $25 worth of vegetables, there has always been something deeper at play.
I’m have always been baffled by the complexity of the world. I read somewhere that no one knows how to make a pencil. By that, the author meant ALL the processes involved. From mining the minerals in the “lead”, all the way to making the wood parts, ferrules and paint, there are so many hands and minds in the mix that no one person is has mastered or even knows every step. This is simply how we live. How much of our world is preprocessed in places we can’t name and ways we can’t imagine. Personally, this leaves me unsettled and always has. I think that the recent disruption in the global supply chain made this vague threat very apparent to most of us.
This phrase, “A more malleable world” has consistently popped into my head as I make things. When I have a desire or need, I want to rely on my knowledge of materials and the goals involved to make it possible. It’s no wonder that starting from a tree to make furniture captured me so decisively. Don’t get me wrong, the most reductive approach is not my goal or always my interest. Often, I employ all sorts of technology or approaches, even if there is added complexity in service of the results. This is where it becomes a very personal path.
In the next few posts, I’m going to show my process of making a tool from concept to production. It’s one of my favorite activities and scratches that itch like nothing else.