The Retired Artisan

The Retired Artisan follows one big idea: broken pieces can be made into something whole. Phillip Thompson, a U.S. Air Force veteran in Lee’s Summit, Missouri, is building a large mosaic table by hand, piece by piece, on camera. He took mosaic classes several years ago, during a stressful time in his life, and he never forgot the peace and comfort the work brought him. He has his own struggles that he deals with today, and he has family and friends, veterans themselves who live with post-traumatic stress. When he picked the craft back up, he believed it could help not only himself, but his family and friends, and other fellow veterans as well.

Every episode carries the same message to his fellow veterans and anyone dealing with trauma: healing is possible, and nobody has to carry it alone. Every piece has its place, including the broken ones. Especially the broken ones. Veterans helping veterans: that’s the mission, and that’s the whole idea.