workshops in old world art & craft

I also have philosophical reasons for doing this.  Our country is experiencing a dire shortage of tradespeople and people who work the land, a trend that is expected to continue into the foreseeable future. This is likely due, in part, to our culture’s devaluation over the last 3 generations of the kinds of work that require the whole of us - the use of our hands, physical bodies, intellects, hearts and dare I say souls!  We are becoming a society that's afraid to get dirty.

Schools, in general, have pushed our young people into specialized higher education and high technology, meanwhile underfunding or cancelling vocational and agricultural instruction, music and art education programs and even recess.  Speed and efficiency are emphasized.  Slowing down and savoring are not - and might even be judged as lazy.   

I could not believe that my daughter was given only a 15 minute lunch break during her high school years.  What kind of educational system creates a learning environment like this?!  Most likely, a system led by so-called adults who have lost all connection inside themselves that they can no longer re-cognize the pragmatic emotional and physical realities of a developing child.  This system neurotically hyperfocuses on left-brain intellectual learning and external achievement at the expense of right brain expression and internal contentment.  Who cares if we can produce Artificial Intelligence if we lack the Emotional Intelligence to utilize it wisely and maintain connections with what matters most?  While I feel the need to say this, I admit that I am also guilty of creating, tacitly condoning or enabling this system.

Ok - I'm off my soapbox!  

To be clear – higher education and technological advancements that come from it are a wonderful thing to be celebrated!  The digital/information age has its perks!  And there is a role for speed and efficiency at times.  Higher education has been soul-fulfilling for me and has brought incredible freedom nd opportunity!  But a hyperfocus on it and the left brain energies it requires at the expense of the whole person is a travesty, the consequences going far beyond a labor shortage in certain trades and the loss of our earth-based, agricultural and hunter/gatherer roots.  

Third Force offers workshops in old world art and craft that afford opportunity for people to slow down and re-connect with other parts of themselves and the land that they may have lost touch with, or never even known before. 

Whether you are a young person exploring a particular handcraft as a means to earning a living, a hobbyist looking for a short-term good time, a budding homesteader, or a Do-It-Yourselfer who wants to employ lessons learned on a project back home, we invite you to join us. 

Notice for yourself what it feels like to get your hands dirty, your muscles worked, your intellect stimulated and your heart inspired all at the same time.  And at the end of the day, relax into the evening, sharing stories and a meal with your new learning community by the campfire while you reflect on the works of creativity, substance and durability that you just created.