The more you try to shave the cat, the more the thing will bite and scratch. I think it's best to leave its fur, and listen to its silky pur. Some people try to make life a little tougher than it is. - CakeChristopher Conte is the poster child for spreading the manufacturing gospel to the masses. He is to manufacturing hipness what Jerry Lewis is to MD, or what Jerry Lee Lewis is to rock: a potentially timeless, iconic figure that represents a vibe around which an audience can grab inspiration and act.
Christopher Conte is an artist with STRONG manufacturing chops. And he's a bad manufacturing cat daddy with STRONG artistic sensibilities. Born in Europe and migrated to the U.S. as a boy, he found these talents in himself early on and began a brilliant journey that led him to a wonderful place. He creates art, and he builds artificial limbs. The yin and the yang.
You can see the fruits of his "artgineering" pedigree at The Work & Sculpture of Christopher Conte.
It seems to me that Christopher's story and what he does offers something special that we shouldn't overlook. We've tried hard in the past to express that manufacturing in the 21st century is advanced, highly technical, rewarding, satisfying and modern. But we've sucked at it. Sites like Manufacturing Is Cool were launched with the best of intentions. They've tried desperately to convey those positives about manufacturing to a generation that doesn't believe it - and that's noble. But those efforts look tired and hackneyed. They look like your dad wearing a Slipknot t-shirt and telling you to eat your peas because they're good for you. Somehow - while their motives are pure - you just can't take them seriously.
Christopher Conte is what we should use as an example of modern manufacturing mojo and its vast potential. Manufacturing isn't just about making chips or welding anymore. Manufacturing is - because of the vast availability of inexpensive technology and communications channels - a blend of technology, business and expression. It doesn't - and shouldn't - have to carry the old, tired stigma.
You can't make someone see something they don't want to - they have to get it themselves, and on their own terms. The Christopher Contes of this world create a sphere of influence far more powerful than any other message we can come up with on our own. He's the ideal - perfectly expressed, and manifested in real life:
Manufacturing can, indeed, be cool.
