Work ethic

Thank you to all the people in Portland that beautify the city with your houses and gardens. I’ve had an appreciation for these old homes my entire life and am moved by them.

So what is a work ethic? For me it has always meant having pride in myself that comes from doing great work. Some definitions differ, I’m sure. For the past 15 years I was in manufacturing. When I fabricated yacht parts out of 316 stainless and then polished them to a finish that was indistinguishable from chrome. I could quickly shape edges to have a large radius that was so perfect you would think a machine did it. Looking at an order of 20 large parts, finished and ready to ship, I remember being aware for the first time that I was making exceptionally beautiful objects and felt a lot of pride from it. Polishing stainless is very labor intensive and the amount of work that went into manufacturing these was incredible. I was TIG welding full time at that job and I got good at making welds that were beautiful. If you know the TIG welding process you know what I’m talking about.

I’m looking for houseless people that have pride in their work, or who might be able to learn to. I spent four years studying art and design at Portland State University and want to pass on my knowledge to those who want it. I want to work with people who have no art background and get them to try. I am also open to making goods that might not fall into the ‘fine art’ category, but they would need to be aesthetically pleasing. There is an abundance of waste in this city to use. I think I can pull this off without buying any materials, I do need a space though.

Interested in hearing comments, so please feel free. What does ‘work ethic’ mean to you?

Thank you for reading and have a good day.