Hello craftsman friends,

My name is Daniel Lawson and I'm giving a shout out all the way from the other coast, in Raleigh, NC.

As I wrote in my bio, I first discovered the Arts & Crafts movement in early high school...the style is really a well-kept secret in this part of the country...and it did change my life. The more and more I studied about the movement and its philosopher artists, the more enthralled and awe-inspired I became. William Morris, John Ruskin, and CFA Voysey (to name just a very few) were absolute prodogies. They were the Albert Einsteins of the design world.

My question for you all runs along these lines. Now, as a college student, I have an extremely hectic schedule, working several jobs to keep afloat and going to school full-time. I am taking general-ed courses, without knowing what major I should really pursue.

So I guess you could say, at this point, I feel fairly disconnected from my inspiration and dreams that were so alive in high school. I love researching and studying the movement, and I enjoy anything that involves creating art with my hands, whether that be painting, sculpting clay, or even knitting.

I would like to spend the rest of my life doing something that has a connection to Arts & Crafts. I am just not sure how to apply my talents and interests to a degree in college...being a bit tongue-in-cheek, it would be nice if there were a major in Arts & Craftology.

Often, the system of our society seems determined to strip us of our creativity, dictating a loud, frenetic, and mechanical urban lifestyle which dwarfs the individual.

Can anyone out there relate to what I am going through? How did you translate your passion for Arts & Crafts into business and life? Do you struggle, as I often do, with this existence in our crazy, complicated, materialism-driven modern world?

Thank you for allowing me to air my musings and opinions, and I look forward to meeting you all further.

Hello Daniel,
Welcome to the Arts and Crafts Society and we hope you continue to drop by every so often. If you would like to read some more on the A&C movement read my history that took me over 5 years of research and finding things of interest to enble me the opportunity to write what I found. I really had to watch that I did not infringe on someone else's copyright and to post pictures as best I could to help make it interesting.

Feel free to write me via email at Ralj7@AOL.com and we can convers on several things pertaining to the movement. You will find a host of fine folks on these forums who are more than willing to help you learn more about the many things of the movement.

You may not know that I build Arts and Crafts Furniture and am nationally recognised from border to border and sea shore to seashore.

Following is one of my pieces that went to a home here in London, Ohio

Write me when you have time.

Here is another view and when they inserted the TV they had 1/32" on each side of clearance.

Ralph

Daniel,
I read with great interest your posting. Your quest for a career in something that you have a passion for is shared by many, including myself. The most important thing I can tell you is to learn from your mistakes.
I have made countless errors, and while they may hurt for a little while, I have made it a point to learn from them.
Your keen observations of today's complex society was the same underlying catalyst of the origins of the arts and crafts movement over a hundred years ago.
I greatly admire and appreciate the openness conveyed throughout your posting, and sincerely wish you the best of luck with all of your present, and future endeavors. Tim

Hello Tim,
I couldn't have phrased any better than you just did to to our new friend and as you said we all learn from our mistakes. I also concur with your comments on using them as guides for the future.

Ralph