The Power of Craft

Twyla Tharp writes the following in her book 'The Creative Habit':
'...you're only kidding yourself if you put creativity before craft.  Craft is where our best efforts begin.'

It is ironic that amid a culture of information and social media that allow us to share information at an unprecedented rate, we find ourselves losing our ability to craft a fine story.  If your DVD player fails, you simply go buy another one, because it will ASSUREDLY cost you more money to fix the one you have than it will to toss the broken one in the trash and go and buy another one.  We are recycling stories at an appalling rate in our feature film industry.  Why?  Because when every item is just one second from being tossed to the curb or dragged to the trash by your mouse, design and craftmanship go out the window...why spend all that time and money to create something of skill and craftmanship, when someone will probably just toss it anyways?

Why is it that a Shaker chair fetches such a high price at an auction?  Surely it is because those men and women crafted a story of beauty, simplicity & durability into each individual piece.

Or, we can go to IKEA.

One of the reasons that antiques interest me so much is that they often tell something of the story of the person who created them.  In the etching, or carving or design the skill and knowledge of the artist or craftsman can be seen.  The mind and imagination of its maker comes through in the object you hold in your hands or behold with your eyes.  To have become an 'antique' is to have withstood at least some of the ravages of time, while retaining at least some part of your beauty or usefulness intact.

How can we regain that sense of craftsmanship?  How can we once again create works that endure and last? How can we imbue each idea that comes from us with the utmost skill and craftsmanship we have to offer?  For it is the dedication to craft that will allow our ideas to withstand the test of time.