Get Crafty

It's been almost a month since I last posted. As much as I enjoy blogging, editorial projects that pay the bills take precedence, and I haven't had a lot of free time lately.

This month, I proofread two how-to craft books, and perhaps because I've had crafts on the brain, I found inspiration in the new book The Craftsman by Richard Sennett, a sociology professor at New York University. I haven't read the book yet, but I heard a thought-provoking interview with Sennett on "The Diane Rehm Show" on Tuesday. Sennett explains that anyone who takes pride in his or her work and does that work well for its own sake--whether that person's an artist, a doctor, a parent or a computer programmer--engages in a craft. It's something to keep in mind as so many of us go through the motions at our jobs, not really creating anything and thinking only about the bottom line--or about the weekend. (See the March-April 2008 issue of Utne Reader for a humorous look at "the infantilization of corporate America" as well as a thoughtful piece on white-collar drudgery.)

As I sit in my home office at 3:30 on a Friday, I'm thankful that I have the freedom to develop my crafts on my own schedule, even if that means giving up a heftier paycheck.