Artisanal work appeared destined to disappear in our modern mass production, fast pace and high-tech society. However, despite the challenges, it has not only endured but, in some industries it has actually flourished.
What’s actually flourished? Just a work category, or there is more to that?
Maybe it has something to do with autonomy, creative and “authentic” ways of making a living. The ethos is not anti-capitalist but it’s rejection of “soulless” mass production.
In Japanese culture, the word 'Shokunin' means craftsman or artisan. The essence of Shokunin is about making something carefully, beautifully and with meticulous attention to details. Artisans share a sustaining set of values. These values entail both an individual and a collective dimension. It is about finding or discovering one's identity, passion and purpose in life — through working directly and intimately with the craft while joining a community. Some of the unique elements of a shokunin's inner and outer life/work that manifest through their crafts are:
NATURE - Selfless surrender after earnest effort
TIME - Devotion over a lifetime, and over a millennium
COMMUNITY - Beyond the notion of individualism
The complexity of this practice (because to be an artisan is a continuous practice) exists beyond the confines of an occupation.
“To be an artisan is to be a steward of that deep knowledge and maintain its continuity through dialogue and adaptation.” Sofiya Deva
Artisan work represents an intimate understanding of material and creativity, rooted in a sense of place and shared history.
Would the dialogue around work and our understanding of it change if we were the artisan at work? What your work as artisan would express? Can we express the heart of the artisan in the world?
Some poetic inspiration for/from the artisans:
poet
oh poet
artisan
of the message
superbly designing
imagery and mind moods
the world would be the poorer
without your impressive wordage
we rejoice in the stroke of your quill
poet master craftsman sculptor of the page
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