The Art of Making a Bow

This TED Talk, by 15 year-old Dong Woo Jang, brings together several elements of recent posts and favorite topics of mine:

Grit – the ability to persevere through adversity to pursue a goal.

Making things – taking pride in the time it takes to craft something, whether a violincoffin, or guitar.

Creativity – in this case, taking ordinary objects and seeing in them the potential for something else in the hope that it will inspire and touch others.

So here’s the backstory: Jang was bored. And since he wasn’t allowed to play video games, he entertained himself by seeking out fallen tree branches from which he intended to make bows. As he didn’t know much of anything about archery, he needed to research the art and craft of bow-making, discovering a lot along the way about the history of his people and about himself.

Jang’s Talk is just 8 minutes long. Watch and it and then give some thought to the hidden potential in the things lying nearby you. What might you make? What might you discover? What might you share? You’ll never know unless you look.

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