A Dying Breed...

We just had some stone work done on a wall in our living room (see photo above). For 8 days we had Harry from Artistic Masonry in our home, diligently working to get "the wall" finished before Patti had a big baby shower here last weekend.

As you can see, the stone facing came out great! While he was here working, I couldn't help but think about the craftsmanship and pride that went into Harry's work. I had entertained the thought (for about 5 seconds) of trying to do this myself, and seeing him work made me really glad I didn't attempt it. Harry has honed his craft and knows what he's doing.

I have a friend (who will no doubt read this - sorry!) who likes to do things himself, like a lot of other people these days (what did we all do before Home Depot?). While this can be seen as a positive thing, I think it has also contributed to the decline of quality workmanship and customer service in our society.

People train, apprentice, go to school, and work hard to learn a trade, and they deserve the opportunity to make a living doing what they've invested their life into. I do photography and videography... with the advent of cheap digital cameras, video cameras, and computer editing tools, "amateurs" are increasingly gaining the tools to do my job. But are they also gaining the skills? I can go buy a hammer, but that doesn't make me a carpenter.

Once upon a time, if you needed something done, you found someone who specialized in that, was trained in it, and did it well. Nowadays, you look online, go to Home Depot, and "do it yourself" (DIY). So the need for trained specialists and craftsmen has declined, and so therefore, has the quality of work and products. We live in a society of cheap, throwaway products. Our furniture is particle board, covered with wood-look laminate, our food is fast and cheap, virtually everything is disposable.

In the midst of that, you have a few people like Harry, who are a dying breed of quality craftsmen, who take pride in their work and whose main concern is that the end result is a happy customer. When was the last time you felt like someone in a service industry actually gave a crap about what you thought?

I urge you to consider this when planning your next "project." What if the people you provide a service or product for all called you and told you they were going to do it themselves from now on? Let people earn a living, and you can relax and know that the job will be done right. And, if you're considering having some stone work done, give Harry at Artistic Masonry a call. E-mail me for his contact info.