Terkel and Jackson Reflections

The writer for the first selection, “Men Who Make,” is a man by the name of Andrew Jackson. In this selection Jackson speaks of another man who enjoys making wooden kayaks as a personal hobbie and craft. He is a Professional Amateur (Pro-Am), according to Jackson, which is word used to describe someone who takes part in a craft of great skill but is not labeled as a professional. Glynn, the kayak maker is a man of great skill, yet his craft cannot pay the bills ; the time/resources it takes to produce his craft does not amount to the money people are willing to pay for a personalized kayak, (even though his kayaks are unique and exquisite). Glynn has to work a professional job in order to make ends meet, yet he does not let his craft take a backseat in his life. Though Jackson seems to be speaking to Men who are Pro-Am’s, the Pro-Am lifestyle is something alot of crafters and skilled people can relate to. It speaks of a genre of people that put a large chunk of their professional income into their “amateur” activities. Most people couldn’t accomplish what Glynn does, but since Glynn is willing to sacrifice leisure time for developing his craft, and he is able to do what satisfies his soul, and still meet the needs of this harsh capitalist world. Jackson states Men and DIY activities of this sort were formed out of the need to fill free time with productive “male” work in the early industrial eras. Jackson also talks about what enhances and disrupts the “flow” of creativity or the feeling of enjoyment one gets from making a craft. Capitalism and profit being the hinderer of the flow of craft.
The second reading is done by Studs Terkel. Personally I found this reading very relateable, especially as a working class American. Initially I was very intrigued by this reading, mainly because this guy seems to think alot like I do. He actually gives you an intriging yet depressing insight into why we say and do some of the things we do in respect to our jobs and our crafts. Terkel is quick to examine and see how the american economy and work ethic, basically withers away at the human soul. As a result Americans are forced to take pride in their work as craft in order to compensate for the loss of leisure and free thinking taken up by their jobs. He further details this point by mentioning how we as americans talk about things, whether in opinion or at the dinenr table, that have a tendency to relate back to our field of work, resulting in ingenuine conversation. Overall, Terkel’s main point is being overworked results in the loss of creativity from the individual becuase profit and living becomes the main goal. If the individual is being overworked he or she does not have time to partake in the creative process, or even in productive human interaction (meaningful conversation). To relate back to Jackson’s readings, the only half way point for professionals who are artists is quasi-professionalism in American society. Under quasi professionalism the artist aspect of the individual is still made to suffer in some way by the over dominance of work and the capitalistic economy.
After reading these articles and many others it is clear that it is not easy to be a productive artist because the American work ethic is so rigorous. Perhaps more troubling is what the American work ethic is based off, greed and profit. Like Morris and the other authors, I believe that the state and quality of art is at risk because capitalism has infested itself in our lives to such a degree that its hard not to think about anything else. I find this feeling continues to intensify as the economy worsens and we’re forced to work harder and harder to make ends meet. 
As a student I have been struggling with this concept for years. Both having to work, go to school, and deal with personal issues has taken away from my soul wanting to do more of the enriching activities I used to do (soap making, writing, joyful reading). Not to say I don’t try but ambition gets warn away when school and working a job become the main priority, this intensifies when there isn’t much financial support to fall back on (parents). 
For example: I asked my friend Joe how he manages his band while going to school, I thought about it and answered the question before he could, he didn’t work. I thought about why my friends jen adn drew stopped doing art, because there main focus became money when they lost their jobs.
Ironically, all this stress about the economy and the American work ethic has made me want to write more, even though I don’t always have the energy to complete the task. It’s a paradox I wish I could solve. 
Overall I have re-thought my degree ten times over on the aspect of happiness versus profit, trying to find a balance between both, in hopes of ultimately avoiding being one of those miserable souls that rides the bus everyday, or being like my mom and dad where work is the topic of every conversation. However, I have faith, luckily my anthropological interests reside in Eastern studies of wisdom and conciousness, which invites me to live/study in different societies and explore different work ethics. Union is a central theme through out the course readings, and coming together and being “one” with each other is a commmon Eastern philosophy. So maybe one day I can bring that philospohy over here again and apply it to my work ethic and help others do the same.
Interesting !