PURPOSE: TO DEVELOP A PERSPECTIVE AND EXPERIMENT WITH AN APPROACH FOR A REFLECTIVE PRACTICE THAT INCREASES YOUR SELF-AWARENESS AND ABILITY TO SELF-ASSESS.
At the end of an interview about his daily practice, master blacksmith and forger Steve Howell comments,
“All these epic sayings in our language: strike while the iron is hot, full blast, losing your temper, commenting that something is riveting—that’s every New York Times book review—riveting! All these phrases are still in our vernacular. That’s how powerful different mediums of craft are. Craftsmanship has a permanence not only through what it physically shapes in our society, but how as language it shapes our thinking.”
Steve’s reflection helps illustrate the point that compartmentalization is a myth. Who are you at work is who you are at home. And, our language is a reflection of our thinking.
If you believe that your work is an expression of who you are as an individual, how do you keep watch over yourself to put each day up for review? How do you get perspective from the different contexts you exist in? How do you learn to effectively self-evaluate? No amount of apps, surveys, or external diagnostics will give you an accurate read on your progress. Only your internal processing, once it is developed, can tell you how you’re doing. If we don’t look back upon our own lives, how will we improve them? We generally focus on that which we are about to do. And yet our plans for the future come from the past.
Odd how that works, isn’t it? The morning begins with questions that prepare us for the day. The evening concludes with reflection and analysis about how it all went—so that tomorrow one can be more present, patient, effective, freer from fear and anxiety, happier and more content. These two rituals, if practiced regularly, create a learning loop that, over a lifetime, contributes to making us strong and resilient.
The mindset craftsmen cultivate their day is the embodiment of this kind of virtuous cycle of learning. What they learn when they are alone in the quiet of their studio, at the end of the day—and what they retain for themselves about themselves is what makes them somewhat mysterious.
More difficult than achieving expertise in something is describing it. This is where you may lack vocabulary for the feel for their material you are developing. Or, where you are starting to gain a nuanced understanding of the pace of the work. But it is here where the actual work is described as “meditative” and you have brief interludes of creative flow.
Craftsmen are natural observers. Howell summarizes his learning approach by sharing this ruler:
What’s wrong with this picture?
It took you a while, didn’t it?
Steve was making railing. He measured, made and went to install is work only to find that it didn’t fit. He was aghast. The measuring tape was incorrect.
He explains,
“We don’t question what we’re told. That’s a big part of what I’ve learned about working with engineering societies and these bridges I’ve been a part of. I go to consult on a project and they’ll say, “By our analysis these things shouldn’t even be standing. They’re old, and we don’t trust old technology. We’ve lost the ability to see, hear, feel—to trust our senses. We rely on instruments to tell us everything! Temperature, distance…and we don’t question it. I could have just stuck my arms out and had a better gauge than what that tape measure told me.”
It’s important to keep your own journal, whether it’s saved on a computer or phone, or in a little notebook, so that you can put every day up for review.
You might not think of yourself as someone who journals. Maybe you’ve started and never found a way to keep it up. And, anyone can start.
Journaling is a way to call yourself to the present, to recall the past, in order to more effectively manage the future. Recall events from the day or previous day. Be unflinching in your assessments. Ask yourself tough questions. Notice what contributed to your happiness and what detracted from it. Write down what you’d like to work on or like to see more off. It won’t magically happen—but by making the effort to record your thinking, you’re less likely to forget them.
There are many benefits to journaling, or even light note taking. First, you’re creating written “data” of your progress. Over time, you can start to look back on your efforts and take note of your progression. Second, journaling helps with sleep as it helps you purge anxious thoughts or unfinished business that can cause your mind to spin up when it should be winding down. Journaling helps you lay to rest those last thoughts of the day, allowing it to close in reflection rather than avoidance. And last, it can give us a very literal understanding of something we may already intellectually know—that our first thoughts are never our fault.
DEVELOPING A PRACTICE: to reflect on the day’s learning, be specific.
…what did I learn today?
…what new thing did I try I try today?
…what risk did I take?
…did I remain in integrity with my Craft?
…how can I improve?
…how can I amplify my knowledge and share what I know?
Alongside technical skills, people who can master a range of subjective skills are better able to influence, deal with ambiguity, bounce back from setbacks, think creatively, and manage themselves successfully in their pursuit of mastery. Learn more about the 25 Skills.