Daniel Mack

Workshop Comments  2016

 

Comments on your teacher or program experience:

1.  It's tricky - I GOT a lot out of the class from a soul point of view - and that's the point, really - and, to do that, usually, the going has to be a bit tough at times, yes? So, the ways in which this course was hard were directly related to what I got out of it, I think. But, that said, there were deeply frustrating moments - sometimes overwhelming - and I feel like I could've used more definitive safety & how-to-use training on the equipment-? The soul work, though, was deeply researched, fully baked, beautifully threaded-through and truly surprising! Beautiful experience overall! Would recommend, and would def do again!

 

2.  He is soulful and encouraging. He inspired everyone in the class. Highly recommend.

 

3.  Very good class however I felt that there were a number of safety issues. Although there were many power tools present in the classroom setting (circular saw, electric saws and drills etc) most people did not use protective goggles. As a matter of fact, there were only 2 goggles available for usage. Also most students were not clamping their projects down on the work table. They were holding them down with their hands while using powerful, potentially dangerous tools. Although Daniel demonstrated a lot of different techniques using these power tools, most of the time he was not in that area making sure that people were using them properly. I felt that in this class there was potential for a serious accident.

 

4.  Excellent teacher. Great experience. A joyful week. I cant make any suggestions for improvement because everything was perfect.

 

5.  I absolutely loved this program, and it has inspired me to do similar artistic explorations back at home. I got so much out of it, learned new skills, but even more importantly, had a deeply artistic side of myself coaxed out of dormancy, and for this I am so grateful! I will say, though, that I was not expecting such an "independent work" type of atmosphere, especially since Omega programs I have experienced in the past cultivated **much** more of a community experience. This meant that all of the participants, both experienced and beginners, were left to sort of figure out what they were doing, how they were doing it, etc. For this reason, I was really thrown and found the first day uncomfortable and somewhat lonely. Once I had re-oriented to how the program was being conducted, I came to enjoy it very much, as mentioned. But since Dan's teaching style is very laissez-faire and quite different from the explicitly community-cultivating style of various other Omega teachers, it might be good to specify in the future, in the course description blurb, the "artist studio"-style of the set-up.

 

6.  Wonderful combination of teaching woodworking techniques and life-skills

 

TEACHING BIOS

Daniel Mack has been working with sticks, saplings, logs, bark and driftwood for 25 years to make furniture, rustic architectural elements and small, simple objects. He has written five books on the techniques and attitudes of working rustic. He has learned about the 'language' of natural materials which he shares in this workshop, "Rustic is really a way of saying something about beauty, nature, longing and your place in the world. It's much more than just furniture".

Dan introduces the basic construction techniques and tools of rustic work as you work on your own projects. This workshop is excellent for people who have never used a drill or a hammer. But experienced builders and craftspeople will be surprised and challenged by the subtleties of the rustic ways of making things. You can expect to make two or three things during the course.

Daniel Mack is committed to sharing information about working with natural materials. Besides his writing, he has been teaching and about this for more 25 years...at The Omega Institute, his own studio, the Woodlanders Gatherings and various arts and crafts centers and healing centers.  He's organized an Arts-in-Healthcare Seminar and has recently started Arts in Nature, a custom-workshop service for organizations interested in deepening their experience of nature and human nature. Dan has begun on-line creativity workshops and salons with people around the world. He is developing what he calls: Wayward Psychology, an approach to well-being through making.    2008 Version

 

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