My kid asked why I bother making nails when you can buy them.

Explaining that a hand-forged nail holds a piece of history changed how I see my own work. Anyone else have a moment that made them appreciate the craft more?

2 comments

2 Comments

the_henry2d ago

Ever see a kid's face when they realize something they use every day was made by hand? My friend, a potter, had a little girl at a market stare at a mug for a full minute, then whisper, "You made the flowers grow right out of the clay." He said that one quiet comment, seeing her get it, meant more than any sale. It was about the story in the object.

ben_rodriguez2d ago

Actually, it's not really about the story in the object. It's about the connection. The kid didn't just hear a story, she saw the process in her mind. She connected the mug in her hands back to the clay and the person who shaped it. That understanding, that link between maker and user, is what hit your friend. The object is just the thing that makes the link real.