Anachronistic Dreams

For whatever reason I have always been a person who has had a desire to do things "the old fashioned way". Rarely have I ever been able to give a defense for this; it has been perplexing to say the least. It could very well be that some part of me longs for the craftsmanship of years past (incidentally I tend to overlook the craftsmanship of today). It could be that in some way I wish to identify with people long dead, by pursuing their trades in their fashion (though why I would desire this I do not know). It could be I am but a grumpy cynic who thinks all things contemporary are inferior (though this I highly doubt, for there are contemporary items I hold in high regard). Despite all of this I cannot avoid that I want to do things The Old Way, or I will applaud those who attempt to keep The Old Ways alive. It is as if I have determined there is virtue in these pursuits.

Along this tack I confess there are two crafts that are curious to me, and ones I would like to pursue, research, or encourage. Though, as I consider them and the state of our economy I doubt these crafts will be little more than novelties to be sold to tourists and odd nuts like myself. Regardless, both glass blowing and blacksmithing hold some small fascination for me. I have been fortunate to witness the former, but not the latter, though I have met blacksmiths and I have seen their wares at local craft fairs. These are old arts, no longer needed as they once were due to manufacturing technologies.

I cannot say I would ever like to try my hand at blacksmithing, for it is hard and tiring work, and I fear my computer programmer physique would not hold up. I doubt I would even be an apprentice for longer than a week. Still, to mold and fashion steel and iron into tools and decorations captivates me. There is something about it that is almost poetic, in a rough and harsh way. There is more I would learn of such work.

Glass blowing, on the other hand, is something I think would be quite interesting to try. I have seen people work in this medium, and I have purchased some of their work. Glass is a wonderful object, useful for a variety of things. My imagination would be my only limit to what I could create (though my skill would also limit me). It seems quite fun to work with something so delicate, yet quite functional as well. I would love to create cups, vases, and candle holders, as these things spark my rather odd interest.

I doubt very much I could ever make enough money to survive in either of these trades. It is nothing more than an odd dream that cannot be explained. Someday I might try my hand at either of these, but I really cannot see myself working at it in a long-term capacity. It would become another one of my hobbies, an occasional one at that. Sometimes our dreams can be quite anachronistic.