William Morris was an important figure in my house growing up. Mostly because he was one of my grandmother’s muses (growing up as she did in Southern California surrounded by the work he inspired in the California Craftsmen, e.g. the sublime Gamble House). And we had the best picture books of his works lying around the house. (the fact that he was also a socialist and anarchist as well as a successful aesthetic theoretician and artist helped later)

Which is all apropos of very little except my thinking about why I’m so sympathetic to the design philosophy of what I call “flourishes.” Flourishes, as I think of them, are the elements you add to a design not because they are necessary or straightforward, but because they’re often ha>rd and interesting, and their inclusion speaks of a better world than the one we live in. That’s core to my personal definition of craftsmanship.

Which again is apropos of nearly nothing, except it’s on my mind as I think about this blog post, which is mostly about dates and Flickr. (and to a lesser extent craftsmanship)

via Flourishes, Craftsmanship, Dates, History, and Flickr – Laughing Meme.