Artists and Craftsmen Who Take the Same Approach to Work As All of Us Workers

Artists and Craftsmen, for the most part, take the same approach to work as all of us workers. We've touched on this in our little mini series on Artists and Craftsmen. But let's drill down on this today.

First of all, it's easier to see how a craftsman is really no different in terms of how they work from any one who works for a living. Recall the example given of my father-in-law from our first installment.

A cabinet maker who worked for a company that produced high-end products for corporate clients, he trudged to work every day, five days a week. A member of a union, his hours were defined and any work outside of those fixed hours were considered overtime. He learned his craft  on the job. Basically he was a craftsman-blue collar worker who began as an apprentice and worked his way up the scale as his skills increased. 

He pursued his craft 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. 

As a union member, he was entitled to a pension, so he retired from the company in his 60s and lived on that and social security. His wife worked in a union job as well, cleaning offices for her company's corporate clients. So they both had pensions.

After retiring, he continued to ply his craft. With his domestic duties, his time was taken up with daily work, as well as attention to his wife and children and grandchildren. 

I had the opportunity to observe him a this craft. 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 who do not possess the skills of a craftsman can possibly see how this craftsman's work was much like our own, if we pursue our duties diligently, give them our best effort.

Perhaps the craftsman's work can be seen as similar to our own more easily than that of the artist. But most artists I've known or known of - those who take their art seriously - must similarly work in an organized, steady manner.

The artist who paints, doesn't just pick up some brushes and start slopping paint on canvas. There are years of learning the "craft" of painting. Ideally, the artist then incorporates a certain disciplined process that is followed to capture the basic idea. 

Here we get into some interesting variations. For example, artists can come up with an idea completely out of their own imagination; or they can, as is the case with portrait art, receive a commission from another party. But I suspect if an artist did both, the process would be similar.

A clear and simple illustration of artistic process would be the late Bob Ross on PBS. His show is still broadcast regularly in our neck of the woods. You can witness a guy with a clearly defined process. I can't paint at all, but find it fascinating to follow him as he takes an idea and expresses it on canvass. (Besides, on most shows you get to see him sign off with a smile and "God bless." I get uplifted every time he says it!)

His ideas are his own, though nothing shocking like some modern art. They are mostly scenes of nature. But the subject isn't the point here. It's the process. You get to witness an artist who has a well-defined process that incorporates creative expression with technical knowledge of how to best use his tools (brushes, paint, canvass, etc.). 

Next time we'll see an example of an author. We'll see how craft plays an important role in art. An initial thought here is that perhaps achieving excellence in art always incorporates the craftsman's skill; but not all craftsman need to be artists to excel at their craft.

Just a thought.

 

Happy Easter!