Steve Jobs, co-founder of Apple has died, aged 56. In an early interview with Playboy magazine he is quoted as saying:
We just wanted to build the best thing we could build.
When you’re a carpenter making a beautiful chest of drawers, you’re not going to use a piece of plywood on the back, even though it faces the wall and nobody will ever see it. You’ll know it’s there, so you’re going to use a beautiful piece of wood on the back. For you to sleep well at night, the aesthetic, the quality, has to be carried all the way through.” (my italics)
This put me in mind of John Bloomfield, the costume designer on the first series of Poldark.
I remember once seeing John sitting on a dry stone wall in Cornwall while we were filming, sewing a button onto a part of a costume that would never be caught on camera, but was an authentic period detail.
It didn’t matter to him that it probably would never be seen, but he knew he wouldn’t sleep well that night if his costume had been incomplete!
We had worked together “B.P.” (Before Poldark!) on an adaptation of Guy de Maupassant’s social satire, Bel Ami.
He made me 17 stunning suits for the five-part serialisation, all of which he would sketch out beforehand in an original way.
John's pasted paper sketch for a George Duroy suit
With pieces of coloured paper–cutting like a tailor–he would build a patchwork portrait of the outfit.
Attention to detail from the start!
Rest In Peace– Steve Jobs.
Robin Ellis 
“For you to sleep well at night, the aesthetic, the quality, has to be carried all the way through.”
I SO agree! I am a knitter. I will never leave a mistake in my work, even if it is totally undetectable to the experienced eye. I will always know where it is. So I frog, re-knit, and sleep well at night! Cheers, Shelagh.
That’s the thing with people like this:
It’s never just a job, it’s a passion. That makes them special.
I always urge my students to approach their writing in this spirit, and I use a carpentry analogy. I tell them first that writing is a craft (of course), and then ask them whether they would want to build a wobbly chair. There is personal satisfaction in a job well done, and in caring about the details for their own sake. There is always room for beauty of this kind in the world (I think). Steve Jobs combined a love of craft with a visionary quality that I find inspiring. Too short a life, but what a legacy.
What a beautiful statement. I totally agree that doing something the best you can will always give you pesonal joy. I remember reading about the same kind of detail put into the costumes and scenery for Lord of the Rings trilogy. Even the underclothing was as detailed as the outer garments, markings on swords, books, background, and furniture. That is true dedication to your art/profession. Steve Jobs has changed the world and was taken too soon but he’ll never be forgotten.
Such a sad loss…& I believe that the detail you have highlighted was a huge part of the success he injected into Apple. The foundations of anything – costumes, meals, computers, buildings, relationships – are where the strength lies.
As an aside…I received your beautiful book today, and the gorgeous fragrance of Ismael’s Spicy Chicken currently fills our kitchen…can’t wait! have a happy weekend…
Thanks Rachel–you’ve inspired me to cook Ismael’s chicken again! Maybe tomorrow. He was a great cook.
Just thought I’d let you know that the chicken was indeed divine – it’s a great recipe! I turned the brown basmati into a little pilaff too, with some toasted pistachios & a few dried barberries…cooking the rice in a little chicken stock. My husband, Paul, has taken the book to bed! Thanks so much x