Bench & Chisel

We’re all searching for a sense of purpose—a sense that we're spending the little time we have in this life the right way. As we live and grow, our ideas about our purpose change, making our search endless—a constant quest.

Handcraft—the act of creating through mental and physical engagement—is one of the most effective practices we have for understanding ourselves and our world. It allows us to use our minds and bodies to make something concrete that expresses our perspective on the human condition. As we create, we gain clarity about our own thoughts and ideas. Handcraft is a sacred and valuable practice. It is, simply put, good work.

But, as our world has modernized, handcraft has become devalued. Collectively we have decided that efficiency and profit, enabled by dehumanizing technology and processes, are the path of progress. The modern work culture tells us that we should strive to make more for less instead of considering whether the process gives us satisfaction. We have left behind the pricelessness of the good work that can be accomplished through handcraft.

Instead, good work is often relegated to hobbies. We are forced to find time outside of our paying jobs to do the work that provides us so much value. Finding this time is increasingly difficult in a world that never seems to rest, in which we are always connected to others.

Yet, for some of us, not finding the time is not an option. We cannot sacrifice good work for work that simply trades time for money. In the search for meaning and understanding, we are determined to find the time to create… to make tangible examples of our internal state.

Bench & Chisel is for those of us engaged in the struggle to live and work in the best way we can, in the way that fulfills our sense of purpose, fits our values, and results in time well spent and life lived well. Bench & Chisel provides the implements and inspiration for those who feel that doing good work is not optional, and the best place to do good work is in the workshop.