1. What made you chose this profession?
2. Would you say crafted objects such as those you produce have gone up in value in the digital age?
3. Do you feel the enjoyment of creating feeds into the value of an object?
4. Why do you think this is?
5. Did you learn your craft from other craftsmen or were you self taught?
6. To what extent does the tradition of your craft play a role in how you work?
7. Have you found an increase in demand for your products as the digital age continues?
8. Do you find a sense of autonomy in being able to make a living with your own knowledge and hands?
Recording Metod: I have considered recording these interviews with a voice memo type arrangement but I found that we were in a place where there was a lot of noise interference which would have caused a lot of issues. Also it is rather awkward and strange to just ask someone if you could record their voice. I feel that it could effect what they choose to say and how they say it rather than them being open and relaxed in the conversation.
Instead I chose to make notes as fast and thoroughly as I can and then reflect on these notes in more detail as soon as I can after the interview (in the form of a blog post) so that I don't miss the details of facial expression and phrasing as much as possible. Also so that I can look at my own role in the conversation and account for my own influence on the answers and any bias that might be inherent in the process.
I am not going to directly quote anything Roger said because I think this interview is more about clarifying and discussing this topic rather than proving or arguing something. Instead I will write out his answers from my notes with as little bias interpretation as possible.
Because I also want to relate the information received to my subject area I will put the direct info in italics and any reflection of my own in roman.
1. What made you choose this profession? (also answered question 5 here)
Just the fact that he had a technical mind that wanted to learn more about the different processes and ways that book binding could be done. Started as a basic search for a way to present his print work. He learned the foundations of binding from the book 'introduction to book binding'. At that point he didn't pursue it much further. However, later on the interest developed with a need to just know more. At this stage the internet and the increasing accessibility of information cam into play allowing a more comprehensive and self lead learning process.
He also subsequently met the person who wrote the book that started it all, this allowed him to tap into the huge resource of skill and knowledge that is the other people and crafts people in the field. This is a great part of doing something so specifically skills based; you learn from the different ways different people approach a design problem.
There is also a huge satisfaction and and ego pleasing aspect to the whole thing. You make something and you put a part of yourself into it. You send it out there in the hopes that people will accept that part of you and when they do it is the best feeling there is.
There is so much in this answer that is relevant to my research. The first is the way that the learning process and collection of knowledge and skills has happened. First contact being a book, then the internet and then a network of other creatives. This is especially relevant because of the way (any creative will tell you) the learning will never stop, it is a continuously renewable thing. It is also curious the way the proximity of these learning methods has escalated. i.e. He started from a book writhed by Steven Conways, a passive absorption of information in many ways. Then as he becomes more active he moves to the internet and searching out this information, then again it escalated to people and physically being around other creatives and watching, talking and learning in a more immediate sense. In this situation you can clearly see a creative actively seeking out greater social and physical proximity in a search of the craft skills. This shows that perhaps I am reading the situation the wrong way around. Perhaps it is not just a case of people doing and wanting craft as a way of finding greater social and physical proximity in a distanced digital age, but also craft and the objects created by it are a by product of the social and physical proximity. It seems obvious but it is worth considering both ends of the process.
Roger also almost instantly referenced emotional closeness to the crafted object as a means for achieving a kind of social closeness. This can be seen in the way he said you put a 'part of yourself' into each piece you create. This is an idea that crops a lot alongside craft and links perhaps to the idea of simply trying hard at something and doing your best at creating the best possible outcome you can. This trying somehow imparts something of you (possible the soul) into this object, creating something with an inherent personal value.
2. Would you say crafted objects such as those you produce have gone up in value in the digital age? (also answers question 7, 3 and 4 here)
Yes, but these things depend on your market and what they are prepared to pay for because craft objects are expensive. However, once you get well known for doing a particular style or process people will come to you for that. And that puts, from my perspective a greater value in the skill than in the object its self. But there is definitely a great value placed in craft objects. For how long I don't know, but it is definitely there. people want beautiful things. Its is an incredibly emotionally tactile moment when someone picks up something he has created and connects with it.
From a creatives perspective it is about creating value that can be perceived by the people you are marketing to. To do this you have to differentiate from other creatives.
I am going to bullet point my reactions to these from now on because my waffling is unnecessary.
-all value is perceived, so creating value is not an exact art.
-skill is the original currency.
-value for money in a commercial age.
-value that is perceived by the audience and value perceived by the creator are separate things that do not always overlap.
8. Do you find a sense of autonomy in being able to make a living with your own knowledge and hands?
As a Designer Binder Roger also uses skills beyond that of book binding to separate his work from the crowd. He designs the covers and looks at the traditional processes and approaches them in slightly different ways. However, lots of people do this. It is natural to find different ways of solving the problems encountered so developments are made on traditional processes all the time. Bringing in other skill sets gained from other areas is natural and happens a lot, changing the traditional processes but still using them as foundations of reference.
Being abel to implement other skills that would otherwise be done by someone else allows much greater control over the finished product and control is a luxury in this digital age of programme doing things for you.
-A designer binder has much greater creative freedom because he doe ant have to rely as much on the skills of other people.
-The input of other skills from outside book binding helps to create value in the eyes of your audience. this value comes from the perceived rarity of a certain look or process. (why does rarity mean value?
-From the designer/creators perspective a different approach also makes you feel more independent and free.
-Can we actually have full control over what we create? especially when using such similar equipment as digital programming? if we use the same tools are we going to create the same work, when we create the same work we are not free. This is sighted by Ruskin in reference to Gothic architects in 'the stones of Venice'.
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