21 Dec 2002 simonstl   » (Master)

When I'm not tinkering with computers, I'm frequently working in my basement shop. My tools-to-talent ratio is still badly skewed to tools, but I figure I have 30 more years to make it all work the way I want. In the meantime, I'm making jigsaw puzzles, turning pens, and building some basic cabinets.

My aspiration for next year is a remodeling project, focused on the livingroom of my 1929 house. We're hoping to preserve its style while replacing the leaky windows, thin sheetrock, and badly finished trim. Oh, and insulation too. It's going to keep the basic Craftsman style that's already there and throughout the house, and I'm going to be building a fair amount of furniture to go with it.

While researching early Stickley furniture (which I'm planning to make, not buy - Stickley is now pretty pricey), I found this nice bit of information about Stickley's perspective in the early 20th century:

[Stickley] emphasized the motive behind the act, the need for the object, as determining the joy of its construction. "It is what we do ourselves, of our own impelling, that is of value to us. Never do a thing unless something definite justifies it... Let your design grow out of necessity.

"It is written, 'In the sweat of thy brow...' but it was never written, 'In the breaking of thine heart shalt thou eat bread.'" Stickley used this quote from Ruskin to illustrate his own feeling that joy in labor is a necessity without which the product of one's labor is an empty reward. Without it, the worker passes the hours trading physical effort for monetary gain, looking to the future for a time when prosperity will release him from this bondage.

Stickley felt trading labor for material gain led to products of an impermanent nature, both physically and aesthetically.[1]

I know Stickley was writing about furniture making, but it sure has echoes of open source to me. Craftsmanship seems to hold as important a role in software development as in furniture making, and the shared nature of software may make it even more important.

[1] Bavaro, Joseph and Mossman, Thomas. The Furniture of Gustav Stickley (Linden Publishing: 1996), p.35

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