A Craftsman’s Legacy: Why Working with Our Hands Gives Us Meaning

A book for makers, for seekers of all kinds, an exhilarating look into the heart and soul of artisans--and how their collective wisdom can inspire us all. "Despite our technological advances, we're busier than ever, our lives more frazzled. That's why the handmade object, created with care and detail, embodying a history and a tradition, is enormously powerful. It can cut through so much and speak in ways that we don't often hear, or that we've forgotten." --Eric Gorges, from A Craftsman's Legacy In this joyful celebration of skilled craftsmen, Eric Gorges, a corporate-refugee-turned-metal-shaper, taps into a growing hunger to get back to what's real. Through visits with fellow artisans--calligraphers, potters, stone carvers, glassblowers, engravers, woodworkers, and more--many of whom he's profiled for his popular television program, Gorges identifies values that are useful for all of us: taking time to slow down and enjoy the process, embracing failure, knowing when to stop and when to push through, and accepting that perfection is an illusion. Most of all, A Craftsman's Legacy shows how all of us can embrace a more creative and authentic life and learn to focus on doing what we love.

Eric Gorges has been the host of Public Television’s A Craftsman’s Legacy since it began in 2014. Before that he worked in the corporate world until a health crisis caused him to reevaluate his life. He sought out one of the best metal shapers in the country and signed on as his apprentice. In 1999, he struck out on his own, opening the custom motorcycle shop, Voodoo Choppers, in Detroit, MI, where he lives today.Normal0falsefalsefalsefalseEN-USX-NONEX-NONE

Jon Sternfeld is a writer whose work includes Crisis Point, with Senators Trent Lott and Tom Daschle, and A Stone of Hope: A Memoir, with Jim St. Germain. He lives in New York.