The Popularity of Woodworking

Why is woodworking so immensely popular in our high tech, pressure filled, information society?

Within the question lies the answer.

There's no doubt that most societies are switching from a physical product society to an information society, (look at how I'm writing this and how you're reading it!)  This change has left many with a void in their lives.

Physical work, where we get to see the immediate fruits of our labor is often left out of our "jobs".  Many people go off to college because they dream it will bring them a good "white collar" job that pays wells.

Then those same people, after a few years of reality setting in, dream all day in their cubicles about what it would be like to be a furniture maker, a potter, an artist, a blacksmith, etc. 

Woodworking is what I'm most familiar with, so that's what I'll speak to, although I think much is true to all crafts.  So why has woodworking become so popular over the past 30 years?

Let's look at what building something with your own two hands does:

    * It gives you a sense of accomplishment
    * It rewards patience
    * It builds your self esteem (unless you cut a board too short!)
    * It's a never ending source of learning new things
    * It's a solitary process (most of the time)
    * It builds creativity
    * It rewards you with a tangible object
    * It uses most of the senses (seeing, touching, hearing, smelling) I don't recommend tasting wood

Let's look at what a typical person uses most in their "J-O-B":

    * Communication skills
    * Mostly uses the senses of seeing and hearing
    * Conflict resolution
    * Reading people
    * Using technology (maybe at a computer all day)
    * Researching information
    * Networking
    * Repetition or daily tasks

Now, I know that the above list is very general and not true for all jobs.  I also don't want you to think that all things in the first list are good and all things in the second list are bad.  What I do know though is that many people are unhappy with their jobs.  And one of the big reasons that woodworking appeals to many is that it provides so many of the things that are missing from their jobs.  In other words, woodworking is a release from many of the pressures of life.  It fills a void that's often times missing in our day to day activities. 

A century ago most people had to produce a physical product in order to survive.  Most were farmers, blacksmiths, machinists, factory workers, woodworkers, etc.  I have no doubt that lifestyle didn't appeal to everybody either.  The key is balance.

I love woodworking, especially sitting back after the last coat of finish has been applied and looking at a completed project.  There's a sense of accomplishment that I don't get anywhere else in my life.  Woodworking helps to balance out an otherwise hectic life.  And this is why I think that woodworking has become so popular.

Tell me what you think, why has woodworking became so popular?

-Craig Stevens