Yep, you read that right. Artisanal. Pencil. Sharpener. Our friends over at Motherboard TV met David Rees, a former political cartoonist-turned-pencil-sharpening-artisan who alleges he fell in love with the trade after working for the census and having to sharpen a lot of #2 pencils. What's more, lest you think this is some kind of ironic performance art, apparently Rees has made thousands of dollars carving pencils through his Artisanal Pencil Sharpening service and he even has a new book out this month, instructively titled, How to Sharpen Pencils. His website writes of his work:
REACQUAINT YOURSELF WITH THE PLEASURES OF A HAND-SHARPENED PENCIL. In New York's Hudson River Valley, craftsman David Rees still practices the age-old art of manual pencil sharpening. His artisanal service is perfect for artists, writers, and standardized test takers. Shipped with their shavings and a "certificate of sharpening," these extra-sharp pencils make wonderful gifts.
Traditionally people mail in their pencils to be sharpened; however David now offers a new service: He will provide the pencil.But to get a real sense of this unusual profession, we suggest you watch the video above. It's strangely soothing.
[via Motherboard TV]