Why Craftsmanship Matters
In a digital world, be analog.
There’s something to be said about working with your hands to create something enduring. Whether it’s heirloom-quality leather goods or a garden, the tangible fruits of your labors are meaningful in ways that are hard to express unless you have experienced it for yourself.
Don’t get me wrong; I understand the value of technology and the digital space. Until recently, that’s how I made money—it was my livelihood. In some ways, it still is—without digital marketing, it would be next to impossible for artisans to find any financial success in today’s environment.
Still, there’s a reason why “unplugging” from time to time is considered healthy and necessary. As debased as the digital age has made us, we are (and always will be) physical creatures.
Campcraft - A Leather Company
The intent of this blog isn’t to dive into the medical science behind screentime and “touching grass” (I’ve heard this is something young people say). Rather, it is to indulge the potentially senseless ramblings of a madman—me!
See, part of the reason I started Campcraft Leather & Supply was the intense burnout of building a career in the digital space. I felt unfulfilled, tired of staring at screens, and as though an integral part of my soul was being neglected.
I firmly believe that all of us are meant to work with our hands in some way or another. Maybe building roads or farming the land isn’t for everyone, but something as simple as creating a leather wallet can fulfill that base human need to engage with the physical world and create something tangible.
What better way to lean into this idea than by jumping headlong into a new craft, embracing a new passion, and launching a new business. It seems reasonable to me.
Filling the Big Empty
As Colter Wall so aptly put it on his latest album, we’re all just trying to “fill the big empty.” Colter’s solution is little songs; mine is handmade leather goods (and a healthy dose of God).
See, in my mind, we are the overlap of spirit and flesh, soul and body. To be entirely absorbed in the digital space is to neglect both. The trap of the modern world is accepting the illusion that working from home or having a “non-traditional” job via a computer is freedom when, in reality, it is another iteration of the dreaded cubicle.
I’m not claiming that you can’t find financial success and build a happy life within the structures of a digital world, only that to embrace such a lifestyle at the expense of your physical experience is to ignore an essential aspect of your intended function.
Drawing a Line
At this point, I think I need to make a distinction. When speaking of physical experience and fulfillment, I am not advocating for the unrestrained expression of every carnal desire. Instead, I am talking about the focused application of the body to build something positive, wholesome, and meaningful.
From seeing hard work at the gym manifest itself in a healthier body to watching your skill progress as you hone your ability to craft with your hands, being analog is about personal refinement, healthy pride, and contributing to something greater than yourself—be it your community or your family.
I hope you see Campcraft Leather & Supply as an extension of this principle and perhaps even use it as motivation to expand your own desire and ability to work with your hands. In the meantime, take a look at our handmade leather goods. I think you’ll appreciate the analog approach to heirloom items that mass-produced alternatives simply can’t match.
Until next time,
-Riley
