Jul 13, 2026 · 1 hr 33 min · 15 segments
I was a guest on the podcast Woodworking is Bullsh\*t again! With my backyard project keeping me busy, I thought now would be a great time to post it here! I definitely recommend taking a look at…
Is it inherent to the human condition? Is it part of who we are genetically? Is it culturally learned? Is it both? This was a question that Jeff came up with.
Jeff, can you give us... an example of why you thought of this question in the first place.
And that's what I think about.
I mean, anyone who knows me knows that I'm a biblical painter, so I'd be quite a hypocrite if I didn't believe the things I painted.
I mean, I know something about it, but I don't know what we're gonna discuss, what the prognosis is.
And throughout my entire career doing paintings, I've often thought to myself, why do I study design if there are so many rules of design that I've been taught appeal to the masses I myself being one of the masses, technically, if it appeals to me on a root genetic level, then I shouldn't have to be trained.
Artist, I use artist loosely because I feel like it's a label I don't like to put on myself, but a maker maybe.
But I know a lot of the rules of design, and I often think that I don't pay attention to them as much as I pay attention to my intuition.
And so I've wondered how much is ingrained in me and everyone, and how much is taught through just nurture or literally academically taught in school and so on?
So, Paul, I know you want to get into the science behind things because that's who you are and that's why we love you.
But I do just, I want to push back on the intuition component of it a little bit, Jeff, just from a personal perspective, because I don't think I have that intuition.
And I understand, like, your argument is perfectly logical.
You're like, if I am human and human, there is an understood, like... universal beauty that human can access, then I should just be able to access beauty, right? Well, that's a big if.
Is it inherent to the human condition? Is it part of who we are genetically? Is it culturally learned? Is it both? This was a question that Jeff came up with.
Jeff, can you give us... an example of why you thought of this question in the first place.
And that's what I think about.
I mean, anyone who knows me knows that I'm a biblical painter, so I'd be quite a hypocrite if I didn't believe the things I painted.
I mean, I know something about it, but I don't know what we're gonna discuss, what the prognosis is.
And throughout my entire career doing paintings, I've often thought to myself, why do I study design if there are so many rules of design that I've been taught appeal to the masses I myself being one of the masses, technically, if it appeals to me on a root genetic level, then I shouldn't have to be trained.
Artist, I use artist loosely because I feel like it's a label I don't like to put on myself, but a maker maybe.
But I know a lot of the rules of design, and I often think that I don't pay attention to them as much as I pay attention to my intuition.
And so I've wondered how much is ingrained in me and everyone, and how much is taught through just nurture or literally academically taught in school and so on?
So, Paul, I know you want to get into the science behind things because that's who you are and that's why we love you.
But I do just, I want to push back on the intuition component of it a little bit, Jeff, just from a personal perspective, because I don't think I have that intuition.
And I understand, like, your argument is perfectly logical.
You're like, if I am human and human, there is an understood, like... universal beauty that human can access, then I should just be able to access beauty, right? Well, that's a big if.
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