The Craft Concept

The Craft Concept:

I thought I might delve into and explore the unique characteristics of craft…

Craft, is an aspect of work, in that it has the capacity to ‘world make’. It is distinguished here as that activity which produces the artificial world in which we live.  It is the way that we produce houses, cars, tools as well as the clothes that we wear. 

The dictionary defines craft as:

1. Skill in doing or making something, as in the arts; proficiency.

2. Skill in evasion or deception; guile.

3. a. An occupation or trade requiring manual dexterity or skilled artistry.

b. The membership of such an occupation or trade; guild.

4. pl. craft A boat, ship, or aircraft.

(http://www.thefreedictionary.com/craft retrieved 28/09/2011)

Craft, to me and many others, extends beyond the above definitions. Craft and craft-making can create and sustain culture, togetherness, identity and belonging. Costin (2008) states that:

Crafting and craft objects intersect with all cultural domains: economic, social, political, and ritual. Craft goods are social objects that assume an importance beyond household maintenance and reproduction. They signify and legitimize group membership and social roles, and become reserves of wealth, storing intrinsically valuable materials and the labor invested in their manufacture.

She goes on to explain that:

Craft objects themselves often communicate social identity, so that in the act of crafting, artisans give material expressions to ideas about roles, identities and relationships in the social world… To craft is to create with a specific form, objective, or goal in mind. Crafting is a quintessential human activity, involving premeditative thought and deliberate, design-directed action … It is our fundamental premise that in many societies, crafting is metaphor for social identity and a symbol of social category. This line of reasoning affords us a rich opportunity to explore in new ways the character of social structure and social relationships.

Reference: Costin, C. L. (2008). Introduction: Craft and identity. Archeological Papers of the American Anthropological  Association vol.8 (1). Northridge: California State University.

Some quotes about craft …

"Good design is a great combination of common sense, unusual imagination, clarity of purpose, aesthetic insight and a deep reverence for the love of life." – Millard Sheets

“He who works with his hands is a laborer.
He who works with his hands and his head is a craftsman.
He who works with his hands and his head and his heart is an artist.”
― St. Francis of Assisi

“Music expresses that which cannot be put into words and that which cannot remain silent”
― Victor Hugo

“A painter paints pictures on canvas. But musicians paint their pictures on silence.”
― Leopold Stokowski

“Songs remain. They last. The right song can turn an emperor into a laughing stock, can bring down dynasties. A song can last long after the events and the people in it are dust and dreams and gone. That's the power of songs.”  

Gaiman, N. (2005). Anansi Boys: Harper Torch. 

“The love and the pride that humans put into their hands as they work on intrinsically motivated projects is what OT is all about. This is the fountain of health that quenches the human’s thirst for purpose. These are purposeful activities. They can never be prescribed for or by another person. They have to come from the intrinsic choice of each individual. Without this, OT does not exist as it was envisioned to be.”

Lawton, L. (1994). Just a little Christmas story. Occupation 2(2).

My reflections:

Composing music is a craft; how can it not be, when the composer moulds, shapes and polishes an entire story out of sound? Similar to an artist crafting a story or an experience using visual mediums, a writer who crafts a story on paper with language, a carpenter who crafts toys out of wood for his children, a grandmother who knits all of her grandchildren warm hats for winter, or a jeweler who specializes in personalized wedding rings. All of us are expressing thoughts and feelings … making what we craft, a work of art. It is funny that the general defining factor between art and craft is that art expresses human stories, experiences, thoughts and emotions, whereas craft serves a practical or functional purpose. However, as I have found, craft serves more purposes than just merely functional. Craft and crafting allows people to create and maintain a sense of identity and belonging, it ingrains human stories and experiences in objects. In my case, my craft is somewhat invisible … I can’t write music, so nothing is put on paper to be made visible. However, I have created a story in sound and I could argue that sound lasts longer in the human mind and heart than any written words do.