Craft and Industry
Can you make something for mass consumption that retains its soul?
A homemade burger and a McDonalds Big Mac. Shoestring cult classic vs the next Marvel movie. Wheel thrown mug or one of many from IKEA. The former is made by humans for humans, but the latter makes so much more money.
I worked in software for 10 years. During time I learned that I only really care about craft; it seemed to make users happier. I also learned it is often surprisingly hard to make a business case for quality.
Some coworkers were able to integrate craft and career. They could influence a team to add true a11y, eliminate painful performance bottlenecks, or meaningfully update controls in response to platform changes. Those projects sound like table stakes, so industry must care about craftsmanship right? Maybe, but I find sloppy friction is all too common in our digital, and physical, lives.
Making something worse might make the overall process more efficient. And a more efficient process usually makes more money despite a lesser result. When the scale is huge, who cares how soulless and bland, or worse broken and hostile, the output becomes.
I would like to think craft can be symbiotic with business, but I observed this relationship is tenuous, ready to be cast aside for a chance at a little extra profit. Perhaps you have discovered how to blend the seemingly opposing forces of craftsmanship and commerce?
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Fortunately, depending on perspective, I gave up and left tech. Instead I have taught and sold pottery, with the freedom to focus on quality and not on money. Although life circumstance has temporarily pulled me away from pots, I look forward to resuming a small, quiet life making mugs, bowls, and plates for everyday use by local everyday folks.
In the meantime, I’m taking one last stab at craft with computers by making a platform fighter to play online with my friends (and maybe one day you too). Think Mario with swords, battling and racing to become the ultimate samurai. I stream dev weekdays, come tell me why I should better appreciate industry (or that I suck and don’t actually know about true craftsmanship).