The Artist and The Craftsman at Work -2

Let's continue with our discussion of the artist and the craftsman at work. Last time we focused on the craftsman. Today, it'll be the artist.

As we begin, something to note: In some cases we can easily distinguish between the work of the craftsman and that of an artist. But not always. A stark contrast would be between a master cabinetmaker (see last post and the example of my father-in-law) and the artist Salvatore Dali. (If you know Dali's work, you see the stark contrast.) So as we work our way through today's post, keep this in mind. 

As opposed to the craftsman, the work of an artist can be, to put it bluntly, wildly divergent from artist to artist. Indeed, you may be of the opinion that many who call themselves artists may seem instead to simply be folks who "express" themselves in various ways that stretch - to say the least - the concept of art.

Perhaps what unites them is the exercise of "creativity." The term may be used in rather broad fashion, but most of us probably have some sense of what it means. You could probably write a book about creativity. Goodreads lists 173 of them already in existence. But however you think of creativity, it's likely you get the point that it plays a role in both craftsmanship and artistry. But let's move back to art.

We should acknowledge that these days art is considered very much a subjective matter. One man's art is another man's nonsense. And "nonsense" would, in many cases, be putting it mildly.

And we must note that art can be created in many forms, both visual, tactile, auditory. The painter (visual), the sculptor (tactile) and the musician (auditory) serve as examples. If we stick with these, we'll likely come up with many examples. Raphael, perhaps the greatest Renaissance painter, Michelangelo the sculptor (who was also a superb painter) and Bach, unquestionably the greatest Baroque compose. All of these fit the bill nicely. Each are known for producing lots of great art. It would be hard to argue the point.

On the other hand, there are many painters and composers who might be considered of a lesser rank than these two, but would still be considered artists. 

What about writers of various stripes including novels, plays, the so-called "book" for a musical production? Many of these could be classified as artists, although here we get into an interesting gray area that helps us understand that artistry also includes craftsmanship.

A recent example of this is Dear and Glorious Physician by Taylor Caldwell. It's a bout St. Luke, someone for whom she had great affection. If you don't know this book, it's well worth a read. Caldwell wrote much, although this is the only one of her works I've read. While she researched her story thoroughly, it took a great dollop of creativity to tell what is in the end her vision of the evangelist's life. The writing is exquisitely crafted. 

But before we continue down what feels more and more like a bit of a rabbit hole in this matter of artistry and craftsmanship, let's switch gears and ask: Can any of this be applied to those of us workers who may not think of ourselves as in any way an artist or craftsman? 

Perhaps the answer would be at first "No." But let's let our imaginations churn a bit here. 

Don't we all "create" in some way in our particular work? The obvious example: coming up with a "creative solution" to some sticky problem that has resisted our efforts at resolution. Surely we know we've been creative. Are we artists? That's likely a stretch. But you can likely see the connection with the artist in our need and ability to be creative.

What about craftsmanship? Consider our organizing skills. If we've bothered to organize our work - and we should, of course - we might be able to apply the term "craft." A personal example:

As a sole proprietor, one of the priorities of my business has always been - of necessity - striving to improve efficiency in accomplishing tasks in the least amount of time. The necessity comes most urgently if you have no employees. All is on you. So the precious moments pass and if you want to have a personal life, you need to get done what needs doing with some time leftover for family, domestic chores,  and personal endeavors. 

That has led to approaching the organizing of my days with LARGE dollops of creativity. And this endeavor never stops. Over the last almost two decades, my days have radically changed compared to when I started my business. 

A simple example of creativity applied to ordinary work. But perhaps there's more to unwrap here.

Next time...