The working relationship between a craftsperson and a designer can often be fraught with technical and creative tension. It’s not unusual to hear a furniture designer lament the limitations of a carpenter’s skills; equally, it’s not rare to hear a carpenter complain about a furniture designer’s unrealistic visions. So what’s the solution?
He [Alexandre Willaume, of Marie et Alexandre] believes that this is beneficial to both parties collaborating on a project. For the designer, not knowing exactly what is possible can be freeing. For the maker, receiving proposals that might seem impossible to execute can encourage them to explore new processes and methods. Perhaps, then, not only can approaching a collaboration with naivety lead to smoother professional relationships but it might also allow both designer and maker to improve their craft.
Nic Monisse is Monocle’s design editor.
Recent Updates
The future
Don’t lose sight of ordinary people
great geo-politicians,’ do not always want to see ordinary people. Ordinary Ukrainians. Millions of those who actually live in the territory they are proposing to exchange for the illusion of peace. You always have to see people.
Taken on April 10, 2022
President Zelensky after Henry Kissinger and others advise that Ukraine give something to Russia.
Stepping Back
It helps, now and then, to step back and take the long view.
The Kingdom is not only beyond our efforts; it is even beyond our vision.
We accomplish in our lifetime only a fraction of the magnificent enterprise that is God’s work.
Nothing we do is complete, which is another way of saying that the kingdom always lies beyond us.
No statement says all that could be said. No prayer fully expresses our faith. No confession brings perfection. No pastoral visit brings wholeness. No program accomplishes the church’s mission. No set of goals and objectives includes everything.
This is what we are about.
We plant the seeds that one day will grow. We water the seeds already planted, knowing that they hold future promise. We lay foundations that will need further development. We provide yeast that produces effects far beyond our capabilities.
We cannot do everything and there is a sense of liberation in realizing that. This enables us to do something and to do it well. It may be incomplete, but it is a beginning, a step along the way, an opportunity for the Lord’s grace to enter and do the rest. We may never see the end results, but that is the difference between the master builder and the worker.
We are workers, not master builders; ministers, not messiahs.
We are prophets of a future not our own.
Oscar Romero
Life long learning
Wisdom
Walking unaided
“I’m doing this without using Google Maps or a GPS because we’re losing the value of being able to move without a phone in our hands. With a physical map, you have a much wider view of where you are; you discover your surroundings and how they connect.”
