Starting today, I am writing a monthly column for Core77, a site that specializes in covering the world of design with a broad perspective.
If you’re looking for woodworking advice, you won’t find it in my column. Instead, I took this assignment because I get to write about design, building stuff, running a business and (yes!) anarchism from a broader point of view than here on this blog.
My first column, The (Mostly Forgotten) Power of Vernacular Design, has some woodworking elements – holdfasts and chairs – but it uses those physical things to explain how I explore early user-made objects. And what we can learn from them.
The column will appear every month. My April column will discuss pricing. Not “how to price your work.” But instead, when to publish your prices and when not to (and the “why” behind each philosophy). I’ve been on both sides of that fence.
Future columns will delve into radical stuff. First, however, I have to convince the readers of Core77 that I’m not a total nut basket.
— Christopher Schwarz
Chris,
I read this earlier today because I get Core’s rss notifications. I thought it was fantastic. It had a bit of a by-hand-and-eye vibe to me for some reason. Looking forward to more.
Be true to yourself. Embrace your nut basket. Wait… no no no.
This is great! I love Core77 and those are the parts of your writing that I really, really appreciate. Looking forward to them.
Definitely looking forward to reading these. I love the radical stuff! Is there an RSS feed for just your column?
I don’t know anything about Core77 but would like to know something about it. Is there anything about being a “nut basket” that I should hide?
Haha. Good strategy there. (nut basket)
Nice….really nice. I come from the world of product design and love the connections you made to the 20th century Danish designers that all the Core77 folks love (including me). I was surprised to hear you are doing this, but after reading the first article, I think it fits perfectly.
There are teachers and there are entertainers in every sphere and genre. Look to the teachers.
MORE FAMILIAR AND COMFORTING RANT!
Interesting and insightful! I think it’s human nature to change something until it’s useless or worse dangerous. Look what Sears did to the Dewalt Radial Arm saw, oh yeah, that was greed…..
The holdfast on the wall would make a fine sticker
But… you ARE a total nut basket, and that’s what we love!@
I came here to post exactly this ^^
Lots of good stuff on core77, but figuring out their navigation menu is difficult. Also $240 to enter a design contest?
Best of luck, I’ll be looking for the next installment.
Uh, Chris — I’m a collective intelligence researcher, and a fan of yours. Not nut basket — I prefer the term ‘meta-nonlinear thinker’. Think of yourself as the first bacteria that didn’t want to waste all that time evolving, and just went out and captured mitochondria.
Chris — I’m a collective intelligence researcher, and an ardent fan of your stuff. Instead of ‘nut basket’ — use the term ‘meta-nonlinear thinker.’ You come from a long line of bacteria that instead of evolving their own mitochondria, just reached out and captured some and integrated them into your genetic code!