North House Folk School

As I settled into the rhythms of my studio in Grand Marais last month, I read the book Slow Productivity by Cal Newport. It focuses on the subject of productivity in “knowledge work,” defined as “any activity in which knowledge is transformed into an artifact with market value through the application of cognitive effort.” Sounds a lot like professional craft work to me! With the limited time and directions I can go during my residency, I wanted to see if this book could lead me away from the traps of “performative” productivity, helping me instead build a path toward meaningful effort in my work. 

Newport breaks slow productivity into three areas of effort that are custom-fit for a craftsperson: 

First, do fewer things. Then, work at a natural pace. Last, obsess over quality. 

He outlines real strategies that make these three aspirations achievable. Due to the structure of the ADP residency, I can actually implement these tactics and internalize them, over time shaping my professional craft life into a sustainable endeavor. 

Handmade chair by Gabe Strand

Do Fewer Things

ADP, although a full schedule, allows me to do fewer things overall: I can focus on a project without the typical distractions that delay productivity. I can finish a project 100% before “pulling in” the next, a suggestion Newport has for keeping our demands manageable. I have the space to commit uninterrupted focus to building a new skill, refining a process, or doing research and development for a future product. 

Work at a Natural Pace

Next, I can work at a natural pace, which allows me to plan ahead, vary the intensity of my workdays, and create intentionality around how I perform my work. A bit of advice from Newport is to create rituals around work that affect your state of mind. This is something that I try to do in my studio, in creating an environment that supports creativity and efficiency at the same time. Productivity at a “natural pace” may look different at different times. Sometimes it doesn’t appear to be work at all (like when I’m staring into space waiting for a joinery solution to appear), and sometimes it manifests as intense effort (during a glue-up, for instance). 

Some of Gabe's works-in-progress in the ADP studio

Obsess Over Quality

The final principle of slow productivity (obsess over quality) is the most exciting for a developing artisan working towards mastery of a craft. This basically comes down to “making the work” endlessly until the gap between ability and taste is the thickness of a saw kerf. Practice does not make perfect; it makes the outcome of our work match our intention. A long process indeed, requiring a natural pace of work and increased focus by doing fewer things. Newport also argues that we should apply some heat to this work of skill-building by betting on ourselves. My ADP residency is that flame of accountability during this amazing opportunity, and an accelerant to my success. 

For a furniture maker like Gabe, slow productivity means more attention to quality and details.

The motto of my business, Green Cove Craft, is the oxymoron “festina, lente,” or “make haste, slowly,” which sums up the philosophy of slow productivity as a framework to make priorities, shape my everyday work, and plan for the future. I’ve always felt akin to the turtle, possum, and armadillo critters who live tirelessly by this maxim. The woodworker is another. As we move into deep winter up on the North Shore and the snow blows in, I’m grateful to have a framework for productivity that fits both my chosen craft and the place where I’m lucky enough to practice it.  

Gabe Strand is a furniture maker, woodcraft educator, and Resident Artisan at North House Folk School. His work can be seen @greencovecraft on Instagram and his woodworking plans can be purchased at www.greencovecraft.com.