Books, Baskets, and Beyond the Interim: Three Fascinating Substack Reads
So many good Substacks, so little time! Here's a quick, far-from-complete roundup of what we've been reading (and recommending) here at Craftsmanship Magazine.
Dear friends,
If you enjoyed hearing about the world of letterpress printing in this week’s new Secrets of Mastery episode, you can dig deeper into the art of handmade books over at
. Their post ”Shades of Black,” which is all about ink, is a fascinating place to start.On
, Richard Merrick regularly reflects on the ever-shifting landscape of work, and what it means to be an artisan in the modern age. As his latest post, “Coming Into Our Own,” proclaims: “We’re all interim now.”Last but not least,
deconstructs a “cheap” Easter basket in her recent post, “Every Basket in the World was Made by Hand.” (A mind-boggling fact, when you think about it!)ICYMI…
This week on The Secrets of Mastery, the creative director of Arion Press discusses his craft's appeal through the centuries—and his own, surprisingly egalitarian views on what 'mastery' means.
Listen to: “Why Letterpress Endures,” with Master Printer Blake Riley right here on Substack.
Coming up next…
This Friday, our contributing editor, Jeff Greenwald, profiles the life and work of an accomplished Nisga’a artist and totem pole carver, Mike Danjeli. This new, full-length feature story has been many months in the making—we can’t wait to share it with you.
We’re still growing here on Substack and we’d love to hear what you think. Please leave us a comment, if you’re so inclined.
Thank you for reading and sharing our stories, for supporting our work with a paid subscription if you can, and for being such a loyal part of the Craftsmanship community. We couldn’t do this without you.
Sincerely,
The Craftsmanship Team
Craftsmanship Magazine is a not-for-profit, all-digital multimedia publication that focuses on master artisans and innovators whose work informs our quest: to create a world built to last. On our website, you’ll find a rich archive of in-depth reported features, audio stories, photo essays, Field Notes, and documentary shorts—along with community resources like our Artisans’ Directory, our guide to U.S.-based craft & folk schools, and more—all free of ads and free of charge.
“The Secrets of Mastery” is our new audio series of brief, intimate conversations with artisans, innovators, and other pioneers about what it takes to master their craft. It’s available for paid subscribers, only here on Substack.
For just $6/month or $60/year, get access to the entire series, including previous episodes, along with other new features we have in the works. Please join us!
Thank you for mentioning my work. There's something of a zeitgeist around identity, what as those committed to our work we cohere to, and how that is increasingly incompatible with large "scaled", metrics driven organisations. So this morning's post on Gaping Void resonated. Having spent a decade n the military, it makes a powerful point as to the size and nature of what we "belong" to. Most of our professional bodies are focused on self interest and regulation rather than purpose or meaning, and so there is a gap - which your blogs fill creatively. All power to you.
https://mailchi.mp/gapingvoid/belonging-at-scale?e=22bfe218ef