And Sons

Back in the fall I (Blaine here) started building a mini barn in my backyard. Doing so dismantled a great many misconceptions I held about building and craftsmanship, like how good I was at it, and what it would be like. Example: I assumed craft would be contemplative and monastic, but it turns out that’s only true if you already have a contemplative and monastic disposition. To talk this through, we asked builder and finish carpenter and longtime craftsman Greg Winters to come into the studio and explain the soul of the craftsman. This isn’t just about learning to make certain cuts. It’s learning work through failure, to focus, to live in the present. It’s learning to step back from a project and let the mind come to rest. Most of all, it’s developing the ability to reach out for the Father in the places he’s expressing himself. Carpentry resists isolation. And that’s a good thing. It’s an opportunity to learn the life of a son.