Our Approach
We learn by doing.
At the Apprenticeshop we do things differently. Typically, in our culture, we learn things through reading, writing, listening, or watching. It is a very different thing to learn something with your body. At first, it feels awkward; you don’t know how to hold your hands or interact with a tool in a way that feels natural. You frequently hesitate or stop as you attempt to deal with the physical problems in front of you. You may tell yourself to follow the grain, or to try holding your chisel a different way, wincing when you take off too much material.
But slowly, over time and with practice, the clumsiness fades and is replaced with gracefulness. Halting decision-making shifts to an an intuitive responsiveness as you navigate the material and the challenges it presents. Your hands learn the precise way to grip, hold, and manipulate tools to produce a desired effect, the brain and body working in unison to make something beautiful.
This is what the Apprenticeshop teaches — this process, whether through building boats or sailing them. When you leave, you walk away with hard skills. But you also leave with something more. Learning to build or sail touches all parts of a person. It is a humbling experience. Skill and ability become a factor of time and experience rather than age, gender, or background. You learn how to navigate the interplay between your will and the parameters given by the material, the environment, or the other people around you. You experience failure and learn how to work through it. You become more confident in your ability to negotiate uncertainty, more resourceful as you gain tools to draw on when you are tasked with solving a new problem. And most importantly, you form lasting bonds through the shared experience of learning and overcoming challenge.
Maria Alexia Platia | 2-Year Apprentice “It is inspiring to work with people who have mastered a skill. But you never get to that depth of knowledge without going through the discomfort of the learning process. That’s what this place is all about: pushing you out of your comfort zone until you learn to be ok with it.”