CRAFTSMANSHIP

Over the last several years I've come up with a lot of ways to define craftsmanship. One year I defined craftsmanship as a combination of patience, practice, precision and passion. Another year I defined it as the marriage between the hands and the soul. Last year I defined it as accepting nothing less than your best. And one of my favorites was the year I defined craftsmanship as turning mistakes into design opportunities. This year, however, I'm going to redefine craftsmanship. I have come to the realization that craftsmanship is a two-part process. The first part is the way you start to gain confidence in yourself and your own abilities. The second part is how everyone else becomes aware of your talent. As a result, your work takes on entirely new meaning.

It's a thrill to be a part of a craft that allows me to get better each and every day. From being around so many incredible instructors, brilliant students and irreplaceable staff, I am in a completely different place today as a craftsperson than I ever could have imagined, and I find it hard to explain what a difference all these people have made in my life. So today, after nearly 32 years of living the American dream, I believe craftsmanship is about undergoing personal change in skills that leaves others speechless.

Marc Adams

About Marc Adams

MARC ADAMS has been woodworking professionally for more than 28 years. In 1991, he became a technical consultant to the WWPA, SFPA, AHEC, and the U.S. government, representing the United States on International Quality of Furniture Making. His work has appeared in Design Book Six and Design Book Seven, and his shop was featured in The Workshop by Taunton Press. In addition, his work has appeared in many national publications, and has been featured on the front cover of Woodshop News magazine. Marc has worked with the EPA in Washington on current woodworking issues, and has been a panel commentator at the prestigious International Woodworking Fair. Marc has won the Indiana Artist/Craftsman of the Year award three times and periodically does TV and radio talk shows on woodworking topics. He co-authored the book Working With Plastic Laminates and currently consults for both the laminate and adhesive industries. His “Technical Technique” video series is the largest-selling video series in the history of woodworking, and he was recently awarded four “Telly” awards.

Marc just completed an eight-part series on workshop safety for Popular Woodworking magazine and was a judge for the 2008 Veneer Tech Craftsman Challenge Awards and the 2009 AWFS Fresh Wood Student Competition. He lectures nationally for universities, guilds, and trade shows and does train-the-trainer programs for today’s biggest tool manufacturers. In 1998, he was chosen as one of Indiana’s Top 40 Under 40 in the local business community.