“To affect the quality of the day, that is the highest of arts.”
- Henry David Thoreau
Why do people own a Rolls Royce or a Rolex or an expensive piece of fine art to hang on the wall? Why do people collect expensive watches and thousand dollar pens or old camera gear that they rarely, if ever, use? Some people carry what brings them joy in the form of a bag.
Because it makes them feel nice to own quality and objects of beauty. We are wired by God to derive joy from beautiful things. Even God required that things in his service be built or coated with rare and expensive things. There were gold and precious stones and rare hard to get wood. The city of Jerusalem on the new Earth one day will have streets made out of the purest of gold.
To Bring Both You and I Joy
It makes us happy when we do good work and when that work makes other people happy. It’s satisfying because it is in us to create excellent things. I designed my first bag in 1999 for my own joy and also for the joy of my descendants. I was thinking about them and the joy they would have when one of them became the owner of my original bag. I served them before I even knew them and that was satisfying and brought me joy just thinking that they would fight over it when I was dead.
To Honor God in My Work
God is a creative being and so it brought Him joy to create all that he did. In the same way, God created me as a creative and it brings me joy to create too. When I create something beautiful and of high quality, I feel like I am honoring God, who gave me the ability to create beautiful things. That’s why when someone creates something ugly or knocks something off, it feels wrong. They didn’t do a good job of creating.
“Imitation cannot go above its model. The imitator dooms himself to hopeless mediocrity. The inventor did it, because it was natural to him, and so in him it has a charm. In the imitator, something else is natural, and he bereaves himself of his own beauty, to come short of another man's.”
- Ralph Waldo Emerson
To Pay the Bills
Obviously, I designed it to sell so we could make money so we could keep the business going, but that wasn’t my primary motivation. It gives me joy when someone owns one of my bags and it makes them smile and feel nice inside. I strongly believe all that went into the quality, the design and the feel of this bag will make you feel nice. It is my way of serving you.
People desire to serve and make people happy with their work. A painter doesn’t put their painting in the garage. No, they put it out on display so people enjoy it. They aren’t chasing money. Our quality and beautiful work is how we serve others and therefore a small way how we serve God. I truly hope this leather piece makes you feel nice and makes you happy.