Martin Puryear Quotes

The very idea of making shoes by hand boggled her mind.

Hands make the world each day.

Tools were made and born were hands, Every farmer understands.

When you're dealing with clay animation, people forget that every single set is built to scale and by hand.

Working with my hands keeps me sane.

I have always regarded manual labour as creative and looked with respect-and, yes, wonder-at people who work with their hands. It seems to me that their creativity is no less than that of a violinist or painter.

Everyone in my family used to work with some kind of tool in their hands every day. That's what we do. That's what I did before I got into acting.

Making duck calls is the hardest thing that we make, so there's skill involved, and they're all handmade.

I have a kind of old-fashioned, artisan approach.

My great-grandfather Melvin had been a carpenter - so was my father - and they taught me the value of tools: saws, hammers, chisels, files and rulers. It all dealt with conciseness and precision. It eliminated guesswork. One has to know his tools, so he doesn't work against himself.

In Scotland, I have a huge barn full of woodworking tools. I love working with my hands. I basically just make myself bleed a lot. I'm very accident-prone.

I made every single piece myself, each individual component, so it was quite time consuming.

I've always built furniture and done farm work.

I take a great deal of value in things that are done by hand or executed by hand.

I have a huge amount of respect for all Japanese designers because I think there is consistency and respect to craft.

It's couture. Everything has to be done by hand. That is most important. That is the crucial element. Without it, that is not couture anymore.

Do everything by hand, even when using the computer.

When I arrive in Los Angeles in the entertainment community, and I use implements like a shovel and a hammer, our society has distanced itself so far from working with its hands that those incredibly pedestrian skills are perceived as somehow being extraordinary.

Art is the only thing you cannot punch a button for. You must do it the old-fashioned way. Stay up and really burn the midnight oil. There are no compromises.

Whatever you could do with your hands was important because it kept you in a motion of being able to produce something, and producing something kept you balanced in a way.

To his and everybody else's way of thinking, you should build a house with your own hands before you start talking about being an engineer.

I never wanted to be a businessman; I was a craftsman and good at working with my hands. At some point, I decided that this company is my best resource. Patagonia now exists to put into practice all the things that smart people are saying we have to do not only to save the planet but to save the economy.

American parents, on the whole, do not want their sons to be artisans or craftsmen, but business or professional people. As a result, millions of youngsters are being prepared for careers they have little aptitude for - and little interest in except for dubious prestige.

All creative work begins by doing something with the hands. Creation is simply a problem and design is the way out.

I’m interested in vernacular cultures, where people lived a little closer to the source of materials and the making of objects for use. And for me, not to rely strictly on the history of art has always been an interesting process, to be looking into areas that we call craft and trades.