I feel like the word is overused and has weird connotations now...a term that's applied to way too many activities. It probably has a lot to do with my professional background. In theatre there are "costume crafters" whose projects often overlap with the "soft prop" artisans. Two departments who are constantly balancing technical skill with a designer's eye and adaptability. Pete considers himself a "craftsman" and feels annoyed when he's referred to as an "artist". It's semantics really, but I see his point and feel like his craft, and the the crafts of so many others (myself to a point) are being linguistically diminished by using the same term for what they do and what the women in the video are referencing. There's a big difference between making things with skills and an aesthetic developed over years of study, training, and experience and the "craft" world that embraces Amy Sedaris' love of gluing googley eyes on anything that doesn't move. I use Sedaris as an example precisely because I respect her as a performer and writer and I do think both movements have a legitimate place in the collective creative psyche. But it's hard for me use the same word for both. Also, it makes me think of the band kraftwerk and kraft mac&chz. I know I'm not going to change how often the word is used. There's a virtual and real-life "craftsplosion" going on right now. I just find for myself that saying that I make things, from scratch and by hand, feels more accurate.
I never thought of it that way, and it makes alot of sense! There is a middle road between technically-trained craftsmen and googly eye lovers, I think...the question is just what to call it. I suppose it doesn't NEED a label, but I think there's alot of worth to the things that people are making in their own homes, even if they don't have a background in it. As I've said before, Martha Stewart was a model and an executive, before she started Martha Stewart Omnimedia, as a way to combine what she did for fun at home with her business acumen. And I'm not just saying that in my own defense...I've met alot of people, through my work on the Examiner blog, who are going through the same transition I am...taking a stab at a more creative career, with almost no formal background in it, other than some fiddling around and a creative mind.
4 comments:
That's hilarious. What's so offensive about the word "craft," though?
I feel like the word is overused and has weird connotations now...a term that's applied to way too many activities. It probably has a lot to do with my professional background. In theatre there are "costume crafters" whose projects often overlap with the "soft prop" artisans. Two departments who are constantly balancing technical skill with a designer's eye and adaptability. Pete considers himself a "craftsman" and feels annoyed when he's referred to as an "artist". It's semantics really, but I see his point and feel like his craft, and the the crafts of so many others (myself to a point) are being linguistically diminished by using the same term for what they do and what the women in the video are referencing. There's a big difference between making things with skills and an aesthetic developed over years of study, training, and experience and the "craft" world that embraces Amy Sedaris' love of gluing googley eyes on anything that doesn't move. I use Sedaris as an example precisely because I respect her as a performer and writer and I do think both movements have a legitimate place in the collective creative psyche. But it's hard for me use the same word for both. Also, it makes me think of the band kraftwerk and kraft mac&chz. I know I'm not going to change how often the word is used. There's a virtual and real-life "craftsplosion" going on right now. I just find for myself that saying that I make things, from scratch and by hand, feels more accurate.
god what a novel that looks like. forgive me y'all for running on and on...
I never thought of it that way, and it makes alot of sense! There is a middle road between technically-trained craftsmen and googly eye lovers, I think...the question is just what to call it. I suppose it doesn't NEED a label, but I think there's alot of worth to the things that people are making in their own homes, even if they don't have a background in it. As I've said before, Martha Stewart was a model and an executive, before she started Martha Stewart Omnimedia, as a way to combine what she did for fun at home with her business acumen. And I'm not just saying that in my own defense...I've met alot of people, through my work on the Examiner blog, who are going through the same transition I am...taking a stab at a more creative career, with almost no formal background in it, other than some fiddling around and a creative mind.
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