Jackson and Terkel

Jackson's "Men Who Make" focuses on DIY as more of a leisure activity, the activities we choose to do in our free time. This free time is available as a result of a variety of changes in society including the shortening of the workweek to 40 hours and a rise in home ownership as opposed to renting. There are a couple of ideas that stick out to me in the reading. First is the idea of the Pro-Am (Pg. 264), a person who pursues a certain hobby and strives to maintain professional level standards. This brings up distinctions between active vs. passive and serious vs. casual leisure. Another idea I found important was “flow” (pg. 267), which occurs when “the participant is challenged but not overwhelmed by the activity” or more simply put “somewhere between anxiety and boredom.” The last idea that sticks out to me in this reading is that DIY or the “handyman” persona became an emblem of masculinity in a way similar to sports. So what does this say about the reading? It seems to be geared towards men. Recently, “crafts” have been given a more artsy feminine connotation- Jackson writes to remind us of that.

Terkel, on the other hand, focuses his writing on what people do for a living and how it can be seen as craft. He uses examples like the dentist who goes to the theater and asks the actress backstage who does her dental work or the retired executive who remains on their company’s board of directors. These people possess skill level and passion very similar to that described in “Men Who Make.” From this I developed a secondary meaning to what “craft” is.

The first of the previous readings that comes to mind in relations to these readings is the one about Slojd. The idea of practical slojd where the importance is attached to the work itself would fit very well with the ideas presented in both Terkel and Jackson about pride in one’s work, whether it be their occupation or their leisure activities. Another great connection is found in the Morris reading. The idea that art is man’s expression of his joy in labor could very well explain why people seek out hobbies- those who don’t make their living doing what they love seek out hobbies to make up for it.

I guess I am still trying to process all of this information in a way that relates to my life. I took this class because I would like to seek out DIY and crafting as a hobby, but I am realizing my work could very well be my craft. As we move on in the semester I hope to learn more about how technology has impacted craft, but also ways craft is an escape from technology.