Artist vs. Craftsman
I've become fascinated with the idea that there is a difference between an artist and a craftsman.
I'm mid-way through Kitchen Confidential by Anthony Bourdain, in which he describes his life's work in restaurants. It's rather funnier than I anticipated, and riddled with brutally honest truth about the industry, especially in the Northeast. All this entertainment, and I'm still struck by the fact that he chose to make a distinction between an artist and a craftsman: When he assembles a team for his line, he would rather have a cook who can crank out dishes quickly and consistently and takes pride in this ability (craftsman) instead of a cook who becomes inspired to throw a sprig of rosemary in of his own accord (artist) and potentially ruin everything.
I have always thought of cooking as a sort of art, but I had never put concentrated thought into the craftsmen who can recreate the chef's art with stunning precision and regularity. Having been immersed in restaurant culture for a cumulative 4 years or so, I understand and appreciate the kitchen folk who can not only execute fine quality and presentation in a timely fashion, but can recover from a sautee pan burn, a salad with accidental olives instead of cranberries, a slipped knife, or running out of cheese in the middle of dinner rush - they break a hell of a sweat over this stuff, but somehow manage to make it work and crank out what needs to be done. It's absolutely amazing - they are like superheroes. (Meanwhile, the front-of-house... well, that's another story...)
This "craftsman" idea has caused me to reassess the arts with this in mind, especially music and dance. I can play instruments and I can do all kinds of dance moves, but times when I've written a few bars or choreographed a dance piece, it's not generally out of the overwhelming need to "say something" with my art. Am I then a craftsman rather than an artist? I love to play and rework and find all the areas for efficiency and dynamics, but maybe I don't dance to express things I can't express anywhere else. Maybe I dance because the regularity of class and the consistency of the steps grounds me, makes me comfortable, makes me assess the quality of what I'm doing and why I'm doing it. It puts me in the moment, drives all my senses to one area of focus (what does the tendu look, smell, feel, taste like?), forces me to ask myself where the movement comes from, why does it work, where can I take it?
craftsman. plural crafts·men \-mən\ 1 : a person who works at a trade or handicraft. 2 : a highly skilled worker
The Merriam-Webster definition implies nothing about creating, which I suppose is where the distinction can be made between craftsman and artist. In general, I just found it so interesting that there could be a difference between a craftsman and an artist that wasn't as simple as "craftsman = blacksmith (or the like) and artist = painter". And of course, blending both is also a possibility. Eh, musings :o)
I'm mid-way through Kitchen Confidential by Anthony Bourdain, in which he describes his life's work in restaurants. It's rather funnier than I anticipated, and riddled with brutally honest truth about the industry, especially in the Northeast. All this entertainment, and I'm still struck by the fact that he chose to make a distinction between an artist and a craftsman: When he assembles a team for his line, he would rather have a cook who can crank out dishes quickly and consistently and takes pride in this ability (craftsman) instead of a cook who becomes inspired to throw a sprig of rosemary in of his own accord (artist) and potentially ruin everything.
I have always thought of cooking as a sort of art, but I had never put concentrated thought into the craftsmen who can recreate the chef's art with stunning precision and regularity. Having been immersed in restaurant culture for a cumulative 4 years or so, I understand and appreciate the kitchen folk who can not only execute fine quality and presentation in a timely fashion, but can recover from a sautee pan burn, a salad with accidental olives instead of cranberries, a slipped knife, or running out of cheese in the middle of dinner rush - they break a hell of a sweat over this stuff, but somehow manage to make it work and crank out what needs to be done. It's absolutely amazing - they are like superheroes. (Meanwhile, the front-of-house... well, that's another story...)
This "craftsman" idea has caused me to reassess the arts with this in mind, especially music and dance. I can play instruments and I can do all kinds of dance moves, but times when I've written a few bars or choreographed a dance piece, it's not generally out of the overwhelming need to "say something" with my art. Am I then a craftsman rather than an artist? I love to play and rework and find all the areas for efficiency and dynamics, but maybe I don't dance to express things I can't express anywhere else. Maybe I dance because the regularity of class and the consistency of the steps grounds me, makes me comfortable, makes me assess the quality of what I'm doing and why I'm doing it. It puts me in the moment, drives all my senses to one area of focus (what does the tendu look, smell, feel, taste like?), forces me to ask myself where the movement comes from, why does it work, where can I take it?
craftsman. plural crafts·men \-mən\ 1 : a person who works at a trade or handicraft. 2 : a highly skilled worker
The Merriam-Webster definition implies nothing about creating, which I suppose is where the distinction can be made between craftsman and artist. In general, I just found it so interesting that there could be a difference between a craftsman and an artist that wasn't as simple as "craftsman = blacksmith (or the like) and artist = painter". And of course, blending both is also a possibility. Eh, musings :o)
What a great writer you are, Allie. I loved your thoughts on this.
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