In construction, we appreciate craftsmanship. Dalton Ghetti takes old pencils and carves with his razor and needle to create beautiful tiny sculptures. The Koi Koi Koi Visual Arts Magazine noted that these sculptures can take from a few months to a few years.

Imagine the perseverance required to work on these pieces day after day. Then think about my last post regarding autonomy, mastery and purpose. The artist clearly has the motivation to work for years on these sculptures. Let’s find the things that motivate us and our co-workers.

I remember working with Jack Graeter, a carpenter friend, years ago renovating a Civil War era hotel into apartments. As he worked on the trim details in the stairs, he added some flourishes. They added such a sense of style to the work, but certainly weren’t shown on the architect’s drawings. When I asked Jack about it, he just said, “Carpenter license.” Jack managed to get production and still create beauty. Now that motivates.

A hat tip to my friend David Goligorsky for finding these wonderful photos. His blog Perpenduum has many great design concepts illustrated. In keeping with the photos above, the illustration below shows our pencil personalities.