HANDS:
hands
hands title:
§0. Foreword
hands date:
10 March 2022
hands text:
How can a heart expression find?
How should another know your mind?
Will he discern what quickens you?
A thought, once uttered, is untrue.
Dimmed is the fountainhead when stirred:
drink at the source and speak no word.
How should another know your mind?
Will he discern what quickens you?
A thought, once uttered, is untrue.
Dimmed is the fountainhead when stirred:
drink at the source and speak no word.
01
People who work with their hands and those who do “headwork” live on different planets.
02
There are some theories why this is so, but the one we like is that craftsmen rarely write, and when they do, they are rarely listened to; and when they are listened to, they are rarely understood.
03
Because you can’t say the unsayable.
04
The notion that a man is a creative being who manifests themselves by transforming the material world around them is too theoretical and distant. You can’t taste honey by reading about it. This is the limitation of language.
05
Our goal is not to describe what it feels like to be able to make things. We are not attempting to convince anyone that manual work deserves respect either. Nor are we engaging in a debate about the role of craftsmanship in our society. What we are interested in is craftsmanship, the ability to make things well, for its own sake: how to master it and how it influences our inner selves.
06
We are, of course, referring to skilled work.
07
The words “craftsmanship” and “workmanship” are used interchangeably unless it is otherwise clear from the context.
08
We number paragraphs to simplify cross-referencing.
09
If you wish to provide feedback, criticism, or contribute, please contact us at hands (at) clayandstone.co.uk.