Digitization actually creates more room for passion and craftsmanship

Do you think digitization stifles passion? Then you haven’t understood a thing, argues Pim van Meer in this edition of Digitale Doolhof. Digitization actually allows people to fully immerse themselves in what really matters.

I have a soft spot for people with passion. Really. It hardly matters what it’s about. One person builds model airplanes. Another has a slow cooker or an inexplicable love for Japanese filleting knives.

Do you remember John Williams from *Help, My Husband Has a Hobby*? I always watched that show with amazement and admiration. Sure, things sometimes got completely out of hand, but someone who loses themselves completely in a single subject at least still has something they’re PASSIONATE about.

In my world, people lose themselves in perfect floor plans, data, the rhythm of facades, logistics, or details that the rest of the world completely overlooks. That’s exactly what I love. Because passion is rare. Passion is attention. Passion is the moment when work becomes more than just the completion of a task.

That is precisely why it is so frustrating that digitization in our supply chain is still too often seen as something that makes work monotonous. As if standardization, a uniform language, and data-driven work were primarily intended to make people produce the same thing faster.

For me, it’s exactly the opposite.

Digitization doesn’t diminish craftsmanship. Digitization sets it free.

I never became a fanatic about digitization because I’m in love with tools or gadgets. I started doing it because I wanted to focus on quality. Twenty years ago, I already realized that you could smartly semi-automate part of the work. Not to replace people. Not to stifle creativity. But to free up time for what really matters.

Because let’s be honest: who wakes up in the morning excited about manually entering the developer’s meter readings?

Once you’ve got the basics in order, you can delve deeper, explore more options, make better decisions, and actually design—rather than repairing damage after the fact. 3D digitization, a standardized language, and objectively verifiable information help us make quality a topic of discussion and something that can be demonstrated. Then you’re no longer guided solely by gut feeling, volume, or whoever shouts the loudest. Instead, you’re guided by what a project truly needs.

And yes, that actually makes design stronger.

If the numbers add up and the client is satisfied with the spatial program, the vision can move forward. When the parameters are clearly defined, creativity can take flight. When you know you’re addressing the real questions in the chain, you can create something extraordinary with greater confidence.

Yet in practice, I still often see the opposite happening. First, they focus on the visual aspect. Only then do they address the underlying calculations. Then everyone is surprised when the design falls apart due to affordability, feasibility, performance, or coherence.

And somehow, the person who points this out early on suddenly becomes the scapegoat. As if the problem lies with the person who shows that something isn’t ready yet, rather than in the fact that it isn’t ready yet.

AI amplifies that effect even further. By organizing repetitive tasks more intelligently, we free up more time for evaluation, design quality, exploring alternatives, and better decision-making. This allows us not only to work faster but also to think more creatively.

So no: digitization doesn’t necessarily diminish craftsmanship. If you do it right, the opposite happens. Then digitization ensures that you first take care of what you have to do, so that you can then fully thrive in what makes you unique.

Not less humanity, but more room for passion, craftsmanship, and distinctiveness.

Filing moment

Organizations that use digitization to stifle passion and craftsmanship haven’t understood digitization. Automate the work that no one would get out of bed for. Instead, protect the work that someone can lose themselves in completely.

A system that diminishes professionals isn’t too digital. It’s simply poorly designed.