Occasionally, I wonder how people regard my profession as a carpenter and
business owner. I can see how some people see my profession as an athlete. Others may
think of my profession as a backdoor to earn a decent living without formal training. I’ve
come across others who probably see this career as a multi-step career in which you start
as a laborer and end in some sort of management position.
I see my job through many lenses, but to the outsider I think my job is easiest to
understand if you compare it to how a magician executes a magic trick. I know that this
comparison may be corny to many, but I think that this comparison has a lot of truths to
my job as a carpenter.
There are many types of magicians, which include the amateur to the ultra-
professional just like the world of carpentry. Some magicians are flashy and try to exploit
all the visual and auditory senses as much as possible. Just as there are some carpenters
who have all the fancy, expensive equipment and props that exploit customers’ assurance
that they can execute a project. Light shows, booming audio, and fancy equipment do not
execute tricks or projects, but they certainly can help.
When I am executing a task in carpentry, I am operating in a world of imperfection.
Overall, I am battling imperfect measurements, imperfect equipment, and imperfect
materials. Like the magician, I am fighting the environment to perform a task or in the case
of a magician, a trick. My job is creating an illusion in an imperfect world that can
withstand time; just as the magician is visually trying to convince your brain and your eyes
that the trick performed appears real.
A professional magician who executes a trick well can blow your mind. The first
question is, how did they do that? A well-trained, experienced carpenter also begs the
same question.
Please consider American Building & Design for your next remodeling project