Craftsmen vs. Artists

I believe an artist makes unique pieces to please themselves, their personal taste and preferences guide their work. It’s hard to be inspired following the wishes of another. Many others may also like, love, desire the finished piece, but it’s inspiration comes from within.

I believe a true craftsman can make a piece to meet the expectations of another, perhaps to duplicate a piece or change it to the whim of the customer. They can be quite content to make a piece that will please another persons taste. A true craftsman can make the same item again and again and take pleasure in the process and end result.

I believe most of us, the hobbyist, are somewhere in the middle.

-- Dan - Valparaiso, Indiana, "A smart man changes his mind, a fool never does."

I think the craftsman label gets used by people who want to create but are afraid to ultimately and singularly be responsible for the scope of what they create. The artist label gets used by people who don’t want to be ultimately and singularly responsible for the fit and finish of what they create. Then there’s the artisan, who accepts both challenges.

-- "The way to make a small fortune in woodworking- start with a large one"

Artist → Right Brain’er
Craftsmen → Left Brain’er

A Right Brain’er I’m not.

-- Chunk's Workshop pictures: http://spadfest.rcspads.com/thumbnails.php?album=135

Interesting point, Miles. You may have something there.

Generally, I consider the difference between craftsman and artist to be the element of creativity. An artist may be able to dream up a unique and beautiful design, but he may not be a good enough craftsman to build it right. A good craftsman, on the other hand, should be capable of duplicating the most intricate design, but not necessarily capable of thinking it up on his own.

I never really thought about the definition of an artisan, but it makes sense that there should be a term for someone who is both a craftsman and an artist.

-- Charlie M. "Woodworking - patience = firewood"

It might depend on who you ask. A great many craftspersons think of their efforts as producing some species of art.

In the Fine Art world if you ask you’ll be told something like : “If you can do something with it, if it has a functional purpose then it is not art but craft. “

The first time I heard that I was offended.
It took me a while to see that the art world wants art to be just art and nothing more or less.
As a general proposition the craft world likes things that serve a purpose and be appealing and that appealing aspect many of us like to call art. But there’s nothing stopping the crafter from venturing into fine art.

-- When the moderator chooses sides, his site sucks.

To be a true artist you must be able conceive and create. The measure of a true artist is their incite and developed skill that results in works that touch the emotions of those who view it. We most often think of artistic things as beautiful or pleasing, but many other emotions may be invoked within one through a piece of art. The real question is. Can you create art without being a good craftsman? I believe not.

-- Nils, So. Central MI. Wood is honest.Take the effort to understand what it has to tell you before you try to change it.

what Oluf said

-- Roger from KY. Work/Play/Travel Safe. Kentuk55@bellsouth.net

The definition that I heard goes like this;
Work with your hands—————————————————you are a mechanic.
Work with your hands and your head————————you are a craftsman.
Work with your hands your head and your heart—-you are an artist.
It’s pretty much what has been said.
tom

-- "certified sawdust maker"

I’m going to have to go with cr1 on this one -

artists make stuff you look at-
craftsman make stuff you use-

That said…..(with all due respect)....who cares? Too much emphasis on labels. There are no absolutes –
“craftsman” can make works of “art” and vice versa…

I seldom work from plans. I like to do my own design and I like to make things that are different and creative. When I am visualizing what I want to do and thinking through the design I am being an artist. When I build the object that I have visualized I am being a craftsman.

-- Rich, Cedar Rapids, IA - I'm a woodworker. I don't create beauty, I reveal it.

I like tom427’s definition.koryk, your intarsia work is very artistic,maybe you should stretch your abilities and do the bench.there’s alot to learn yet.that will make you a woodbutcher and an artist.

I never think in terms like artist or craftsman. I always use the term woodworker (as opposed to carpenter) to define what I am. I build decks and built-ins for a living, and my results are always very well crafted, but never art. I design almost every one of those projects, but they aren’t very creative…just very well built, so I guess that craftsman would be the term for what I do to make a living. Nothing wrong with that, as it’s payed my bills for 30 years.
In my spare time, I am always in the shop, making fun projects with my scrollsaw, lathe, and other tools…puzzles, cutting boards, boxes…whatever tickles my fancy on any given day. Some people look at my projects, and call me an artist. I always say the same thing…”The artists are the ones that designed/drew the things that I make. I’m really good with my hands/tools, and at producing the artist’s ideas. Sometimes, I do create a project, or modify a design to make it mine…so I guess that makes me an artisan, which could be a hybrid of the 2.

-- Steve-- http://www.urbanexteriors.biz

Oddly enough, I was just comparing myself to some of the projects I see here on Lumberjocks, and I was saying to myself, “Wow a lot of these people are really technical, I am not so sure I am on the right forum.” I like to “wing” things, I don’t go by a set of directions, and I think that’s what seperates the craftsman from the artists.

If you look around on the forums here, you will find “blueprints” for woodworking projects, these folks are the craftsmen.

Now that’s not saying that a craftsman can’t be artistic, or vice versa, in fact, quite the opposite, when you can meld the two together, you’ve become BALANCED in your woodworking skills and will far exceed any expectations you set out for yourself.

I like what shopdog said, although I didn’t read it until after I typed all this out.

My note – There are many definitions that work on all counts that I have seen. Most of these are customer facing. If you are talking to an architect or builder – you are a craftsman, if you are speaking with an interior decorator – you are an artist.

It all depends upon the job and the money involved – if you are making kitchen cabinets – craftsman, if you are designing and making a statement- artist works for me. Most importantly – professional is best (they get paid).

-- David in Damascus, MD

At least to me, there isn’t a difference that makes a difference.
We’ve all seen useful items that are so beautiful that one might call them art.
Often a craftsman’s technique is art.
Some “artists’” techniques are craft.
Maybe it’s akin to pornography. We can’t define it, but we know it when we see it.

-- Gene 'The true soldier fights not because he hates what is in front of him, but because he loves what is behind him.' G. K. Chesterton