This morning I went to hear Dan Phillips talk about his work. He taught himself how to be a plumber, an electrician and a carpenter. Now he hires unskilled people and teaches them how to build houses. He pays minimum wage till they are good enough to go to work for someone who pays more. Then he hires someone else who wants to learn. His organization is Phoenix Commotion, and he builds houses with unconventional materials, focusing on housing for low-income families, single moms and artists. The unconventional materials might consist of a roof made of license plates, a floor covered in wine corks, or relish plates used as small decorative windows.
I took a look at his website and I’m amazed at the amount of material there. Besides photos of his very unusual and interesting houses, he explains how he does some of these things, like the wine cork floors.
His talk was very interesting and inspiring. Not only did he talk about what he does, but he also talked about the philosophies that brought our home building system into being, and the psychology of our decisions when we choose our homes and how we decorate them. I told my husband it was like listening to Francis Schaeffer talk about home building. If you ever get a chance to hear him, I’d certainly recommend going. If you are an artist, you will be inspired. If you are looking for a way to construct your own home, or decorate your home in truly unique and beautiful ways, you won’t want to miss hearing him. If you are interested in doing what he is doing in your own community, Mr. Phillips is helping others get started. For more – much more! – info, check out his website: http://www.phoenixcommotion.com/
Thinkactlive's Blog 