Handmade cover art

Handmade

Creative Focus in the Age of Distraction

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Handmade

By: Gary Rogowski
Narrated by: BJ Harrison
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About this listen

In an era when there are countless competing claims on one's attention, how does one find the internal focus to be creative? For master furniture craftsman Gary Rogowski, the answer is in the act of creative work itself. The discipline of working with one's hands to create unnecessarily beautiful things shapes the builder into a more complete human being.

In the tradition of Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance and Shop Class as Soulcraft, Rogowski's Handmade is a profound meditation on the eternal value of manual work, creativity, human fallibility, and the stubborn pursuit of quality work. Rogowski tells his life story of how he became a craftsman and how years of persistent work have taught him patience, resilience, tolerance for failure, and a love of pursuing beauty and mastery for its own sake.

Part autobiography, part guide to creativity, and part guide to living, Handmade is an audiobook for craftspeople, artists, and anyone who seeks clarity, purpose, and creativity in his or her work - and it's the perfect antidote to a modern world that thinks human labor is obsolete.

©2017 Gary Rogowski (P)2019 Tantor Crafts & Hobbies Creativity Personal Development

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All stars
Most relevant  
If so, you’ll get this book. I paint and I could completely relate to the book and I enjoyed the narration. I found it relaxing and found myself nodding in agreement on many points.

Do you feel a need to create things?

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The collection of stories and anecdotes throughout are simple and relatable. It is more a philosophy of work at the bench and how life is interwoven with it. This is not high action, but rather a rich walk in the shoes of a ordinary man who has mastered his art. It certainly encourages the less confident person to follow on in that regard. The life lessons are subtle and almost sink in through osmosis. There is an ease with the book that counters the pace of today and offers the reader a switchback to a more appealing track. Gary does not sugarcoat the challenges of a creative life but instead shares his approach to making the best of it and taking it easy on yourself while setting high standards. If you have listened to Gary’s podcast, ‘Splinters’, then it may take a while to accept the voice of the narrator but overall the performance is good.

Perfect pace for a busy world

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Excellent story telling with life lessons weaved in beautifully. The reader reads the book from a point of understanding.

Excellent!

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The author tells us a story of how he fell in love with woodwork, his obsession with perfection, and a simplistic philosophy of being.

I liked how he analysed scenarios from every angle, and gave contrasting examples (get ready for lots of hiking references) to prove or explain a point.

This isn't just a book on the woodwork craft you have to realise, it moreso demonstrates a way of life (that heavily features woodwork and hiking stories). I'd have preferred less hiking references (as I prefer woodwork) however, I do see why these sets of stories are included.

Definitely worth a listen, and the narrator is pretty good too!

Neat little guide to craftsmanship, and a way of life.

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