The Artist and The Craftsman at Work

As we trundle through this Easter Season, let's take a look at the artist and the craftsman at work. We've approached these two endeavors in the past, but they typically get short shrift. Time to change that.

Of the two, the craftsman may be a bit more approachable to most of us. Perhaps some of us earn a living as a craftsman. Here's a great example of one such person:

My father-in-law was a master cabinet maker. Don't know if he thought of himself as a craftsman or not. He worked for a substantial cabinet-making firm in New York City. He was one of the workers. But he pursued his craftsmanship at home, creating much of the furniture for his family - including ours. Every piece was, well, a work of perfection. It serves as a standard upon which to judge any commercially purchased pieces - every one of which has fallen far short of the excellence his hands embedded in his work.

When he retired from his job as a cabinet-maker, he continued working at his craft. It wasn't all he did in those post-earning years, but it did take a good chunk of his time. He could either copy a design or create his own. He was slow and careful as he worked. He knew his work was good, but he never bragged about it. He did, however, occasionally point out how perfectly, for example, the draws in his dressers were constructed. You can't buy stuff with drawers like his. They never stick or wobble. They are perfect. It was clear that such work was satisfying and I think he took great pride in it.

We are blessed to have what he made for us.

Our late son (our oldest child) had a yen for craftsmanship. It seemed to begin early on. We still have a creche he put together as a young boy. It's displayed every Christmas: a simple frame that depicts a stable. We add some statues and, voila, it takes its accustomed place in our dining area.

While not earning a living at any craft, he spent years volunteering for stage crew in theatrical productions. He both crafted items, but also designed sets. When he died, people who worked with him posted memories of him instructing them in how to properly make stuff or put stuff together properly. Apparently he was generous with his time, and charitable in his demeanor.

Naturally, we attended the productions he worked on. He too was proud of his work. He managed all this while diligently pursuing a career in corporate marketing departments. I had a sense that he applied his craftsman's touch to his suggestion for promotions and campaigns to present and sell his companies products.

So his craft, while not earning money directly, contributed to the excellence sense of his "for-profit" work.  

Later in life, now married with his own house, he pursued his craftsman's urge. He continued to work at his corporate job, but decided to remodel the dining room. He bought the equipment needed and spent much of his time on this project. I watched his progress and, frankly, was astounded at the planning and execution. Not sure why this surprised me, given his past involvement with making/crafting things, but it did. 

Sadly, he died before completing the project. But his widow hired a professional carpenter to complete the job. The carpenter was apparently impressed by this amateur's work. I remember our son talking about some day making this his full time occupation.

I bring all this up to provide some first-hand insight into a craftsman's mind - and our son was indeed a craftsman. It wasn't just a one-off or one of many outside interests. While we'll never know, I think he would have improved his skills with experience and very possibly found his way to making his craft his full-time work.

While not all of us have this craftsman's gift, some of us do try our hand at such projects in our spare time. but whether we put our effort into a craft or not, we can all apply a craftsman's mentality to our daily work.

Whatever our daily labor, we can attend to it with care, with attention to detail, with the desire to improve - rather than just "showing up" at work each day.

Think about it: If we're serious about working for the greater glory of God, just showing up each day doesn't really mix well, does it? Instead, consider being more like the craftsman at work.

Nest time we'll look at the artist at work...

 

Happy Easter!