A company of craftsmen and craftswomen

I recently read this wonderful book titled The Craftsman by Richard Sennett. Here are few gems of wisdom I extracted from it.

Craftsmanship names an enduring, basic human impulse, the desire to do a job well for it’s own sake. Skills that mature and pride in one’s work lies as the heart of craftsmanship as the reward for skill and commitment.

Craftwork and innovation are deeply intertwined. Good craftwork:

• focuses on objects and impersonal practices
• tempers obsession
• turns the craftsman outward
• integrates doing (how) and reflecting (why); makes and observes at the same time
• embodies repetition, slow revisions, slow learning and cultivation of habit, working memory
• connects the hand to the head
• welcomes ambiguity
• embraces curiosity, investigation and patience
• applies the principle of application of minimum force and release
• uses all available tools (e.g. Instruction through illustration, narrative and metaphors; or innovation through syllogism, intuitive leap, reframing, metaphors and integrative thinking)
• fosters the interplay of practice, imagination, and possibility
• sees resistance as opportunity for reframing, patience, and possible discovery
• improves irregularly by taking detours
• ability to localize, to question and to open up/to

A company dedicated to craftwork:

• values play and experimentation
• fosters transparency
• provides mentorship
• nurtures cooperation and open communications
• encourages training and practice
• exudes calm industry and purpose
• celebrates excellence in craft and craftsmen and craftswomen
• combines cross-domain knowledge
• values metaphors
• supports rituals of craftsmen and craftswomen
• defines objective standards comprehensible to all

A company dedicated to craftwork can sustain itself when it:

• actively pursues good clients and good work
• articulates the value of good work
• turns outwards towards professional community
• actively illuminates meta-knowledge of the craft
• routinely distills wisdom

“Craftsmanship” may suggest a way of life that waned with the advent of the industrial age, but this is far from the truth. At Elliance, a digital marketing agency, the essential skills — of strategy, user experience design, interactive design, content strategy, copywriting, storytelling, software development, search engine optimization, social media,  marketing and systems architecture — are all performed by modern craftspeople. We are a company of inch-wide-mile-deep talent.

Explore our expertise and capabilities and consider partnering with us.