When I began my career, Art and Craft were alive within my home. I never questioned what made one different from the other, or which had more value, but I always knew the difference. When I went to college, I discovered that many are preoccupied with defining what sets these fields apart, so they can pigeon-hole the world in ways that make them feel comfortable. In addition to giving me pause to reflect on my own feelings on these issues, I found great humor in the illusion that our ideas have any value in this realm. Crafts are needed. Good quality work leads to quality products that are useful, beautiful and functional. Far too often, sloppy work fell under the auspices of "art". This confused me, as an aspiring artist, because technical proficiency was part of what I strive for as an artist. One of my teachers pompously claimed that "If you know ahead of time, what your piece will look like when you are finished, it must be called craft. If you are open to changing your mind in the middle, and you cannot tell what it will look like when you are done, your work becomes art." I'm sure that he felt justified in making his claim. By the time I heard this argument, I had become an accomplished sign painter. Even with diagrams and drawings, the finished product would have to be considered art by his definition. Because my hand created variation and interesting errors that added to the final product. If an inexperienced person looked upon my work, it might look perfectly rendered, but my own skilled eye could see imperfections, whether they were tolerated (included) or not was up to me.
Similarly, very often, when I did "fine" art, I would conceive a finished piece, and use my skills to bring it about. Perhaps I would be open to change, perhaps not. I guess, because it was not a teapot, or a pipe, one could say that it was art, but I felt that this was not the important part. The thought of whether it was a close enough match to my original idea was never an excuse for not finishing, but whether the concept had merit often became an issue. Many great artists are craftspeople. Most great craftspeople function as artists. Putting these people in separate camps confounds the best minds. Great thinkers realize the overlap between these fields and those among us with a foot in both camps could not care less if there is even a difference.
Some recognize that there is a portal that we refer to as "mastery", which we are able to slip through if we put our minds, our hands and our concentration to our work for long enough. A fellow on the radio today claims that the "magic number" is ten thousand hours. Imagine this as four hours per day for nearly seven years. Using this as a guideline, I asked myself..."What have I mastered?" Yoga, at least pranayama (breathing exercises), Cooking, Sign painting, Art, Gardening, Tree planting, Bicycling, Construction, Stagecraft, Sustainable Lifestyles & Parenting. I am still in the process of developing mastery in several other fields, although I have taught others many of these skills for over seven years. Growing up in the theater, I never separated my life from the actual work there. Some was painting, some construction, etc. As with most endeavors I have found that by putting one's whole self into the task of learning the new skills that are required, no matter what you do, you can develop interest, attention, and allow you to make the skill your own more quickly.
What I feel is needed most at this time is for each of us to recognize that we are constantly working toward mastery of whatever we put our minds to. Some may choose to be masters of sloth, complaint, or excuses. Fortunately, most will not choose these fields. The focus we place on each activity that we participate in has it's own reward. Curious children are the best example of this. As we get turned on to whatever discipline, we become more and more aware of the details and subtleties of it. When I carve wood, my sensitivity is to the grain, smell, resistance to tools, etc. My openness to the tools, materials and techniques enhances my ability to perform, as well as my ability to "see" quality in the work of others.
In the coming years, our attention to becoming the best that we can be will become increasingly important. Putting time in apathetically will yield far less reward than becoming engaged with our livelihood. The proliferation of self-help books over the past twenty years, and the rising tide of inspirational books only point out the need for self-actualization, as Maslow described. If we have been lucky enough to have our needs met, face appropriate challenges at proper times, faced them and overcome them with love, aid and support, of our family. or mentors, the challenge of self-actualization can be met head on and we will have a good shot at attaining that illusive goal. Far too often our belief in perfection limits our urge to explore, make mistakes and learn the valuable lessons from failure. By taking a few chances along the way we can learn much about the way to grapple with the future. Once we develop our hand, we cannot unlearn the deft movements of the expert. When we are the living embodiment of our craft, we can respond appropriately without though logic or reason. This becomes a life, artfully rendered.
