Understand that we’re never done learning
Understand that we’re never done learning
Actor and author Nick Offerman on the joy of learning and working with your hands
“Ethical behavior is doing the right thing when no one else is watching—even when doing the wrong thing is legal.”
–Aldo Leopold
Quick Summary
Krista Tippett talks to actor and author Nick Offerman about how he finds deep meaning in woodworking. (Fun fact: Before his big break in “Parks and Recreation,” Nick supported himself between acting gigs as a carpenter.) Nick also shares his love for nature and criticizes modern consumerism for minimizing its importance. He imparts wisdom learned from his mentors, which include the farmer-poet Wendell Berry and the artist and playwright Shozo Sato.
You can catch the complete episode (1 hour) on the On Being website.
Key Takeaways
Always maintain the attitude of a student. This insight comes from Shozo Sato, a professor Nick studied under in college that became one of his most influential teachers and friends. Nick credits this lesson for leading him to woodworking, a craft that requires a lot of diligence. Understanding that there’s so much more knowledge in the world than one can possibly absorb is humbling—yet also a source of joy.
Invest in people who can help curate life. Krista observes how Nick deeply values teachers and builds friendships with them. Throughout the interview, Nick cites various people who have profoundly influenced his beliefs and philosophies—most notably Shozo Shoto (as mentioned earlier) and the writer Wendell Berry. After reading a book of short stories by Wendell, Nick reached out to the author for permission to adapt some of his work. Although Wendell said no, the two became friends over time.
Find your organic vocation. Nick firmly believes in the human body’s natural gifts—that “everybody has something that they can make with their body.” For him, it’s woodworking, which he views as an engaging puzzle. Nick criticizes industrial consumerism for encouraging people to consume more than create.
Stay curious. Woodworking appeals to Nick as a kind of puzzle. But acknowledging the physical effort required of his craft, he’s also aware that he needs to slow down. This means turning to other kinds of mental challenges, like jigsaw puzzles and the New York Times’ Spelling Bee game, as well as learning new words. And speaking of words…
If we don’t value language, our communication and relationships will suffer. Nick is very intentional about the words he uses in both his writing and speech. You can hear it from this interview alone—his responses often sound literary and poetic. (And it doesn’t come across as being showy or pretentious.) Besides simply appreciating language, Nick cites Wendell Berry’s ideas on the subject: If we don’t treat our language with affection, how can we treat our communication or those with whom we share our life with affection?
Side note: This was a particularly wholesome portion of the episode. Krista praises Nick’s choice of words when writing and speaking, and he gets flustered by her compliment. It’s a very sweet interaction.
Making gifts is a better way of expressing love than buying them. Modern consumerism teaches us that showing affection means buying gifts. (Case in point: Valentine’s Day.) Nick encourages people to rethink this—for example, by taking the time to make a card. He shares that whenever he sees his wife’s car without her nearby, he’ll “scrabble around and find a piece of litter, and make a heart out of it, and stick it in her car door.” Gestures of love don’t need to be extravagant.
Thoughts
It’s always fascinating to see how much (or how little) overlap there is between an actor and their onscreen characters. Does any of their “real” self bleed into their performance? While I’ve adored Nick Offerman as Ron Swanson and most recently, Bill in “The Last of Us,” I don’t think I’ve ever seen any of his interviews—so listening to this podcast was a total delight. (My take: The extent of overlap in his roles as Ron and Bill is relatively superficial.) Nick is incredibly thoughtful and reflective—the type of person who reads or hears something once and sits with it for a while, ruminating over things that have clearly struck a chord. I really enjoyed hearing his curated insights, especially the Aldo Leopold quote shared at the top of this post, and his appreciation for language. I came away from this episode feeling pleasantly surprised by his humility and depth.
Thank you to my dear friend Mathison for sharing this podcast with me and to you, dear reader, for making it this far. The best way to support Sketch Pad is by sharing this visual with someone who might enjoy it. And if you’d like to, send me your podcast recommendations here.
–Joyce