The Practice of Craftsmanship: A look at craftsmanship in our daily lives

In practicing craftsmanship one is handed a set of values that become unspoken oaths. Agreed on when an individual decides with conviction on the creation of great works. These values enter and orchestrate one’s existence; guiding the placement of each next step. In noticing that no short-cuts were taken in constructing the Parthenon. Nor Euripides’ play Bacchae or Sevdaliza’s track Human.

It is understood that great work cannot be done on a whim. That it would lose its footing on the fragile surface of a momentary desire.

Craftsmanship, for it to emerge, has to be rooted in the dirt of everyday life—a practice that can nourish every field and every craft.

Whether one is using solid materials such as wood, steel, clay or cloth; or nonphysical materials such as memory, erudition, language or sound. This way of life brings reverence to those who practice it. Daily activities are set in unison with one’s temperament whilst being asked to reach beyond the outer walls of their current state and skills. It is an existence that seeks total harmony, with self, other and world. Great works become a reflection of the good life that the ancient philosophers have attempted to define for centuries. The practice of craftsmanship is a branch of the good life.

What does craftsmanship look like in daily life? Let’s compare it with the modern life that many have selected over it.