Have you heard of "Industrial Design" before? (or have you largely overlooked it like so many of us?!)  The iPHONE, which transformed the entire world, is an ingenous example of Industrial Design where an object is designed to interact with hundreds of millions of random people.  What are the rules governing GOOD INDUSTRIAL DESIGN and what does it have to teach us about OUR OWN WORK????  Are we missing an opportunity here to learn something important here???  Mary brings the heat in today's discuss on this amazing and often overlooked topic.

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Are you satisfied with what you have in life?  Do you find yourself wishing for MORE?? MORE AND MORE MONEY, a bigger/better place to live, a nicer car or more opulent vacations?  "When I have (Insert Answer Here), then I"ll be happier!" . Do you continually strive for more, AND ACHIEVE IT, only to feel somewhat hollow or anticlimactic?

Let's start 2025 together on a POSITIVE OPTIMISTIC note, and tackle the topic of "ENOUGH".  Can we realize what is ENOUGH in our lives, and rather than chasing happiness, practice gratitude and appreciation to find the happiness already within.  True contentedness comes NOT from getting what you think you want, but rather, learning to APPRECIATE what you already have.  

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DO YOU KNOW what your significant other or non-artist friends THINK & FEEL about your art, your craft, or your passion?  Do they find it intersting because we do?  Do they feel the special pull of hand made objects like we do?  Do they find themselves passionate by proxy, or do they think we're just weird?
Join us for a special HOLIDAY EPISODE where we hear from the significant others Victoria & Sara and hear about HOW THEY SEE THE MAKER WORLD. We also have some fun TRIVIA CHALLENGES between the girls seeing how much they have learned by Osmosis, followed by the sexiest ad read ever.  It's a joyful and fun episode for all!

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Do you find yourself bored when you make something more than once?  How about when you make that something 1000 times because it sells well?  Is there creativity to be found withing production work?  How do we deal with the mental side of doing a repetitive task? In this episode we think about both the PROS and CONS to production work and how to find the right mindset that enables repetitive production work to be more creative and more fulfilling. We also have our first AD read, and believe me, you won't want to skip it because its a hiarious mess told as a bad Hallmark Movie.  I'm pretty sure we won't have another ad sponsor after this!

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Do you want to earn more money for your work?  Do you struggle to set prices and get nervous thinking about asking for more money?  When you do charge more, do you feel ok about it?  Today we discuss the many ways one can RAISE PRICE POINT as an artist and then have a short but spirirted session of WIB's DEBATE CLUB where Erik and I debate the ethical and moral implications of doing so.  Joining us for this episode is the amazing fine artist, educator, and documentarian JACK THOMAS!  She'S smart, witty, experienced, and hilarious and adds a wonderful piece to this conversation.

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Do you feel STRESS at times in the shop?  Many people turn to woodworking and other crafts to relieve stress but once sufficiently into it, those once stress-relieving hobbies can actually become a SOURCE OF STRESS.   Today we talk about the stresses that each of us feel around the shop and making experience, what effects that stress has on us, and how we go about solving or alleviating that stress.

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We've all seen them, pieces of furniture or woodworking where someone throws all these random ass pieces of contrasting figured woods together, thinking that by using figured woods, their piece will look better, or fancy, or valuable.  When in reality, it often looks gaudy and disjointed, and a bit confused.  IS USING FIGURED WOODS A GIMMICK?  Join a spirited debate on how we see the tasteful use of figured woods, but how this simple question speaks to a MUCH LARGER design question of HUGE IMPORTANCE.  We also cover how figured woods develop in trees and what the scientific research says about their occurrence.

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Have you ever felt like an Imposter at work or when creating?  It is estimated that up to 85% of people experience imposter syndrome in their lives, despite training and high achievement.  ARE YOU PART OF THAT 85%?  In today's episode we confront this issue head on with the help of Kristin Siegfried Ballenger, who is an expert luthier (maker or violins and other stringed instruments) and has first hand experience dealing with imposter syndrome.  We all relate our experiences with imposter syndrome, talk about what the research suggests about it, and perhaps most importantly, talk about how to deal with it productively to achieve a deeper sense of confidence.

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As soon as we sat down to record, Erik said, "Let's just WING IT!!" , instead of following an outline for the conversation about: IS BEING COMPETITIVE A GOOD THING?  Paul is noticeably uncomfortable and what ensued is lovely W.I.B. history.

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In today's episode of the Master Series, we discuss the amazing Japanese Americana furniture designer and architect, George Nakashima, widely considered to be the father of slab furniture.  George believed trees had a soul, and through the act of making furniture he was giving them a second life.  His most famous pieces of furniture include live edge slab tables and benches with architecturally inspired bases, with clean lines almost evoking the peace and serenity of Zen Buddhism.  Following George's death in 1990, his daughter Mira boldly led Nakashima Woodworkers forward into their new chapter.  Today, we have the incredible fortune of having two VERY SPECIAL guests with us, Mira Nakashima, daughter of George Nakashima, and her grandson Toshi Amagasu who not only give us an inside look into Nakashima Furniture, but also inside their thriving family legacy.  

For more information on Nakashima Furniture: https://nakashimawoodworkers.com/ 

For a wonderful in-depth documentary on George's Life: https://nakashimadocumentary.com/ George Nakashima Video Clip courtesy of Jim Bunn, with assistance from John Nakashima.

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