profiles in craft

What we don’t see on the resumes we review or the job descriptions we want is the litany of emotional entanglements we bring to our roles, uninvited, to the team and organizations we work in. 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 in the presence of challenge. In short, those who learn lead.

Observing subjective qualities in others past and present gives us a mental picture of the behaviors we want to practice. While observing qualities in others can foster development, it is not enough—we must develop a practice. Our minds and lives tend to take the shape of what we think about throughout the day, and our decisions and actions create experiences to learn. Each figure illustrates a quality researched from The Look to Craftsmen Project. When practiced as part of our day-to-day, these qualities will help us develop our mastery in our lives and work.

On a personal note, this gallery is something I made for myself. It started as a side project while my manuscript was being edited, and it is an exercise in imperfect publishing—these are quickly written, daily posts. Research and citations are in my manuscript but not here (as much) due to time. My intention is to go back over this gallery once it’s completed, and add them back in.

I created this gallery to apply my theory and practice more broadly to people in the real world. I chose women, specifically, to encourage and support me by not just surrounding myself with famous people, but really seeing them and studying them as individuals. In looking closely at those around us, we start to observe the tiniest of habits and perspectives that can inform and guide us in our own journeys.