Woodworking is BULLSHIT!

Do hobbies and making lower your stress, or add to it? Clinical health psychologist Dr. Matt Whited GUIDES US through another installment of the PSYCHOLOGY SERIES, helping to take stress apart: what is STRESS exactly, why it isn't always bad, and when helpful "good stress" turns into the chronic kind that wears your body down. We get into why your gut can notice stress before your brain, how to learn your stress "tells," and what's stressing people out most right now (AI??, societal division??, loneliness??) Can woodworking cure loneliness, or does it isolate you more? When does a hobby turn into a second job? Matt explains why having lots of things you're good at protects you, why there are no failed experiments, and how acceptance and mindfulness help. Take the Perceived Stress Scale (link below), then hear us compare our scores in the after show on Patreon. The Perceived Stress Scale Test (no spam, PDF) : https://www.das.nh.gov/wellness/docs/percieved%20stress%20scale.pdf To watch the YOUTUBE VIDEO of this episode and the unfiltered AFTERSHOW, subscribe to our Patreon:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠http://patreon.com/user?u=91688467⁠⁠⁠⁠ [http://patreon.com/user?u=91688467]

Do you gravitate towards the quick and easy weekend project or the long haul masterpiece?  The answer likely depends on your brain chemistry, your work/life schedule and availability, and your innate ability to tolerate delayed gratification. In this episode, our next installment of The Psychology Series, we tackle this FASCINATING Question with the help of Dr. Brad Appelhans, a PhD psychologist and professor at Rush University Medical Center who has spent his career studying immediate vs. delayed gratification, and by the way, IS ALSO A WOODWORKER.  Together we dig into whether our brains prefer the small reward now over the bigger one later, and what that means for all of us in our artistic journey. In this episode: * Brad's "slow vending machine" experiment, and why a 25 second delay is all it takes to change a not-so-good choice * The famous marshmallow test of immediate vs. delayed gratification * Paul's "mini boss" method for surviving 300-hour+ projects * The hot-cold empathy gap: why your future self might regret all those cutting boards * "Failure to launch": why new woodworkers (even surgeons) give up quickly * Brad's strategies for playing the long game: commitment, shrinking the time horizon, choice bundling, and episodic future thinking * A lightning round that gets….. Well, let's say "revealing" To watch the YOUTUBE VIDEO of this episode and the unfiltered AFTERSHOW, subscribe to our Patreon:⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠http://patreon.com/user?u=91688467⁠⁠⁠ [http://patreon.com/user?u=91688467]

Why spend time examining—or even physically making—"BAD ART"? Is there something to be learned by making BAD ART? Jack kicks off the discussion with her signature college assignment: forcing students to imagine, write about, and physically build the worst piece of art possible to locate their personal "origin of disgust". The trio digs into what it means to experience true artistic disgust—not just mild disliking, but a visceral, blood-boiling reaction to work you feel shouldn't exist or be consumed. From Eric's fiery critique of performance art, to Paul's confession about Mark Rothko's $55 million squares and confronting his own gullibility, to Jack's fierce hatred of epoxy river tables as aesthetic shortcuts—this episode turns hatred inside out. Ultimately, the group realizes that dissecting what you detest exposes your core values, cultural upbringing, and hidden insecurities in a way that can be helpful to finding your true authentic voice! To watch the YOUTUBE VIDEO of this episode and the unfiltered AFTERSHOW, subscribe to our Patreon:⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠http://patreon.com/user?u=91688467⁠⁠ [http://patreon.com/user?u=91688467]

The things we make are not simply objects, but symbols of who WE ARE and WHAT WE OBSERVE in life. This week we sit down with our first ceramicist guest ever, Jordan Koons — potter and educator, to figure out what the things we make are trying to tell us about life and ourselves. We use Jordan's personal manifesto as a map for the episode: 1) Jordan's double-walled vessels, an ornately carved exterior wrapped around a hidden interior, as a metaphor for what we project externally to the world versus who we are internally. 2) Negative space representing human vulnerability as the price of real human connection, and 3) Why chasing "perfection" in handmade work might be missing the whole point of making it by hand in the first place. We hope this conversation stirs up thoughts and emotions inside all of you and you'll share your thoughts with us in the comments. To watch the YOUTUBE VIDEO of this episode and the unfiltered AFTERSHOW, subscribe to our Patreon:⁠⁠ ⁠⁠http://patreon.com/user?u=91688467⁠⁠⁠ [http://patreon.com/user?u=91688467]

FACT -> Marketing is CRITICALLY IMPORTANT to sell the things we make.  However, marketing often comes with an "ick factor" for many of us, as we are exposed to HUNDREDS of advertisements PER DAY, many of which are dishonest and misleading, with the products prioritizing convenience and profits over the environment. How can we break this cycle?  Enter Dave Dennis, co-found of Ventana Surfboards & Supplies who takes us through his thinking about ETHICAL MARKETING, and helps us understand that there is no easy perfect solution here, but we can CERTAINLY DO BETTER over time.  He also discusses the problem of Greenwashing, where companies intentionally misrepresent their environmental friendliness as a means to sell product.  Join us for a revealing and eye-opening conversation, and let us know if you decide to try the "TELL NO LIES" CHALLENGE?! Ventana Surfboards & Supplies: ⁠https://ventanasurfboards.com⁠ [https://ventanasurfboards.com/] Ventana's Instagram: ⁠https://www.instagram.com/ventanasurfboards⁠ [https://www.instagram.com/ventanasurfboards] To watch the YOUTUBE VIDEO of this episode and the unfiltered AFTERSHOW, subscribe to our Patreon:⁠ ⁠⁠http://patreon.com/user?u=91688467⁠⁠ [http://patreon.com/user?u=91688467]