From June, 1993 to August, 2002, I ran a custom woodworking
studio in Winchester, VA. These few pages of pictures are from my
original business web site. At my studio, I specialized in
blurring the edges between functionality and art. Every piece I
created was unique and hand made. My work found homes across the
United States as well as in Europe and South America. I’ve worked
for kings and ambassadors, and for museums and collectors. I was
good at what I did and I was highly respected by my peers. I had a very
rewarding career, but my passion for the work was never for the
finished piece; my passion was always centered on the creative
process.
In the beginning, I had learned the basic skills of my craft through a traditional apprenticeship in woodworking. It was there that I not only fell in love with the process of doing, but also with the process of learning. I discovered that my craft was more than a skill. It was intertwined with history, architecture, philosophy, art, and many other disciplines. Regardless of how much I learned, I found there was always more to learn. I came to understand that the search for knowledge and the creative process were bound together. To understand Modern furniture styles, I found it necessary to read Ruskin and Morris. Reading Ruskin, I believed that “life without labor is guilt, labor without art is brutality.” Later, as a professional, I felt obliged to hire my own apprentices in order to pass on the knowledge that I had benefitted so much from. I believe firmly that knowledge should never be owned by any one person. In order for our culture to grow, for our society to evolve, the present generation has a responsibility to fully share what they know with young adults.
In interviewing potential candidates for apprenticeships, I soon confronted the common results of public education, and I became frustrated. I met many people who simply did not have the skills necessary for creative work such as analytical thought and interpretation. To my surprise, some did not even have basic skills such as math and reading. After many years, my continual search for apprentices turned into an exploration of the educational system. I was shocked with what I found. Forty-seven percent of the American population is functionally illiterate. For a civilized country, this is unacceptable. I became convinced of the need for qualified educators in the liberal arts. The ability to read critically and to communicate ideas through writing should be an integral part of the human experience. For individuals to explore the limitless nature of creativity, their education has to be built upon a solid understanding of the forms of expression and how those forms work through language.
Out of these experiences, my perspective on education evolved. Originally, I had only complained about the inadequacies of the educational system. After a great deal of research and personal reflection, I started to consider what I could do to change things. Because of my background and my interests, I decided to teach literature and writing at the college level.
In the beginning, I had learned the basic skills of my craft through a traditional apprenticeship in woodworking. It was there that I not only fell in love with the process of doing, but also with the process of learning. I discovered that my craft was more than a skill. It was intertwined with history, architecture, philosophy, art, and many other disciplines. Regardless of how much I learned, I found there was always more to learn. I came to understand that the search for knowledge and the creative process were bound together. To understand Modern furniture styles, I found it necessary to read Ruskin and Morris. Reading Ruskin, I believed that “life without labor is guilt, labor without art is brutality.” Later, as a professional, I felt obliged to hire my own apprentices in order to pass on the knowledge that I had benefitted so much from. I believe firmly that knowledge should never be owned by any one person. In order for our culture to grow, for our society to evolve, the present generation has a responsibility to fully share what they know with young adults.
In interviewing potential candidates for apprenticeships, I soon confronted the common results of public education, and I became frustrated. I met many people who simply did not have the skills necessary for creative work such as analytical thought and interpretation. To my surprise, some did not even have basic skills such as math and reading. After many years, my continual search for apprentices turned into an exploration of the educational system. I was shocked with what I found. Forty-seven percent of the American population is functionally illiterate. For a civilized country, this is unacceptable. I became convinced of the need for qualified educators in the liberal arts. The ability to read critically and to communicate ideas through writing should be an integral part of the human experience. For individuals to explore the limitless nature of creativity, their education has to be built upon a solid understanding of the forms of expression and how those forms work through language.
Out of these experiences, my perspective on education evolved. Originally, I had only complained about the inadequacies of the educational system. After a great deal of research and personal reflection, I started to consider what I could do to change things. Because of my background and my interests, I decided to teach literature and writing at the college level.