Let me first say that defining and understanding craftsmanship we must start by being as fundamental as possible. I maybe over explanatory but it is important, especially in this definition to lift you out of your seat and place you as close to my seat in order to find a common understanding.
We begin to define. What in the world can craftsmanship be applied to? I would say everything and for this reason. If we break "everything" into two categories of 'goods and services' we can certainly know that goods have or lack having craftsmanship. It is also fair to say that if your profession is to provide a service, though money is being traded for something not of material the person providing can provide well, thus allowing us as consumers to gauge on some scale. It is this I want to apply craftsmanship to when I argue with myself to find my own understanding of the meaning.
Imagine if you will their only being one thing in the world. We'll say an undefined tool of some sort. This tool is responsible for performing, or to aid in performing a task. The task has no definition until something on which the task is performed is defined. Even then we must apply a user to this tool. So at this point in order to apply a level of craftsmanship to this tool we must also look at the things to which this tool is relative. Example; a man, a saw (hand saw), a piece of wood. Let us use the saw as the object to which we will question it's craft. Let me clarify. The saw holds a certain level of craft. This level of craft was achieved by a craftsman, applying (hopefully) his best craftsmanship. Is the craftsmanship of the saw defined by how well this piece of wood is cut by a man with the saw. I know this is only one situation in the world where we can find craftsmanship but bare with it. I mean we can start from the beginning and say the only thing that exists is the saw. How do we determine a level of craftsmanship? I would argue that we cannot accurately conclude on it looks alone. But why not. This saw may be beautiful. The steel shiny and the wood smooth and where the two meet is a perfect seam. Hand made brass rivets flush with the handle. A fine craft this saw has but if craftsmanship can be determined at this stage, the stage before the object in question is applied to the world, then we, as part of the world cannot make a judgement on the level of craftsmanship. To that it is fare to say that until the object is placed in context it does not have a craftsmanship. Craftsmanship comes from a craftsman.
I think we can take a look at the word itself, "craftsmanship", dissect, define an find it's etymology and that will suggest a direction. Craft: which through various sources I gather a basic understanding that this is a skill in making something or doing something and multiple references say by hand. "Craftsman" is obviously the person responsible for the craft and the ending "ship" means the condition of or skill of.
O.K.
lets plug our example back into what we know. The maker of the saw is the craftsman and through his experience he has a level of capability. This is what makes up the ingredients necessary to even have craftsmanship. We'll make a simple comparison:
Two saw makers, Ryan and Tyler. Ryan has been making saws for 7 years and has always aspired to make the best saws. Through the years he has always challenged everything from materials to methods and as a result makes a damn good saw. Tyler, who we will say is the same age as Ryan (if that has anything to do with it) has come from a background rendering him very capable of making saws. He went to school for engineering and has worked as a machinist and is also the type to challenge his abilities. Both make a saw designed for the same type of cutting. We have both of these saws side by side and through inspecting these saws we honestly cannot distinguish ones craft better than another. The craft is equal. We give these saws to two lumberjacks and they cut a thousand logs. The saws now have gone through a process necessary to evaluate the craftsmanship. I think declaring a winner is really irrelevant to the meaning of craftsmanship but I would have my money on Ryan for reasons of experience. How well does the saw fit in the users hand, does it feel balanced? What kind of steel did each saw have and did one dull before the other? The handle, did one absorb sweat better? Did either of them break (because that would be a deal breaker) Anyway the point in comparing two things one must always be better. Being equal would be like have two things in one place at one time. Something to think about would be: If you had to buy a saw for a thousand dollars, HAD TO, which one would you chose
Craftsmanship goes much further than the what is being crafted. Craftsmanship is everything about the crafted. Everything that went into it with purpose and then those purposes being performed. Today I think that when we began to put less care into things not only did those things become less expensive but our quality has been sacrificed. Because how well something can serve a purpose is a huge part of craftsmanship.
I just challenge people to see these things and compare only thinking about quality and then your pocketbook second because you deserve the best stuff on earth so that the stuff less than best will diminish.
great stuff - comments headed you're way
ReplyDeleteIf everyone were to only accept the best and leave the rest, then yes it might help the overall quality to rise but to mass produce the high quality items only means more labor. In which, the factories (or wherever the items are being produced) will have to push their workers even harder with small amount of wages that will soon lead to discrimination. Also, because better quality items will require better (more expensive) materials to make them, where basically all this "raise the standards of quality" will just make it tougher on everyone by raising the standards and not exactly fighting the current system.
ReplyDeleteYes craftsmanship does go much further than what is made or what a finely crafted tool produces. However, I think that evaluating something based on its performance is the antithesis of craft. Yes it does have to perform, and that is a reflection of its craft, but not its process. For example, a CNC’d jig will most likely produce more accurate volumes in engine valve fabrication than a handmade jig. In things like this the craftsmanship is evident when the idea is conceptualized because crafting is not just making as a way of exercising craft but crafting well thought ideas. Is craft purely evaluated on how it will interface with a potential user?
ReplyDeleteWhat is the purpose of the saw? Is left handed or right handed? Maybe its performance is irrelevant and we should analyze it more like a sculpture. Even though something is nicely made or exhibits a refined skill set does not, by any means, prove the value of its existence as an object. I think that objects that exhibit true craft and workmanship leave evidence of the process by which they are made. According to David Pye, “Workmanship is the application of technique to making by the exercise of care, judgment, and dexterity. As opposed to design, workmanship is what for practical purposes the designer cannot give effective instructions by drawings or words, although he can envisage it perfectly well. Standards of workmanship become established in each kind of manufacture”
Either way you look at it; I think that craft and process is the physical manifestation of culture and tradition. I am thinking of handmade steel bikes vs. carbon fiber digitally fabricated frames. I think the best example is the Japanese Samurai Sword. No process in the world could ever come close to surpassing the hand crafting of such things.
“Workmanship of the better sort is called, in a horrific way, craftsmanship. Nobody, however, is prepared to say where craftsmanship ends and ordinary manufacture begins. It is impossible to find a generally satisfactory definition for it in the face of all the strange shibboleths and prejudices about it which are acrimoniously maintained. It is a word to start an argument with. There are people who would say they would like to see the last of craftsmanship because, as they conceive of it, it is essentially backward-looking and opposed to the new technology which the world must now depend on. For those people craftsmanship is at best an affair of hobbies in garden sheds; just as for them art is an affair of things in galleries. There are many people who see craftsmanship as the source of a valuable ingredient of civilization. There are also people who tend to believe that craftsmanship has a deep spiritual value of a somewhat mystical kind.”
David Pye – The Workmanship of Risk and Certainty
I can give you some david pye articles via email (the way he write about workmanship is really inspiring – there a lot to get into to), and I would also like to share with you a documentary that I have on the samurai sword.
http://vimeo.com/16435404
ReplyDeleteIn the paragraph with the allegorical argument of the "two saw-makers", it would seem that you are implying that the empirical experience is more valuable than formal education. You are edging up to a slippery slope here. I would argue that "Tyler", given seven years more experience (futuristically) will have the the upper hand on "Ryan" and his fourteen years of hands-on experience. At this point, Tyler will have had his hand on a great many saws, though not as many as "Ryan". "Tyler's" adavantage will lie in the formal and fundamental understanding of the saw. "Ryan" will have a great objective understanding of the saw, but "Tyler" now has the upper hand in subjectivity as well as the objective itself. But this argument is neither here nor there...
ReplyDeleteWhat I think bothers me here is that it appears that you might be trying to make the argument that "Tyler" is the ugly, mass-producing conglomerate and "Ryan" is your homegrown, small-guy craftsman. You are making bad generalizations about systems of learning and gaining experience in addition to the erroneous argument of who the true craftsman is and where they might possibly come from.
Not anyone is capable of being a great craftsman, but a great craftsman can come from anywhere.
I think that you successfully deconstructed the terms craft, craftsman, and craftsmanship and brought it all together at the end to make the point of choosing things that are well made to diminish the things in this world that are less well made. I love it and I agree 100% Please write more.
ReplyDeleteIs it not subjective what level of craft is present? It seems to me that one person might say "this is the most well-crafted widget I have ever seen" whereas another person might disagree.
ReplyDeleteCraftsmanship has been marginalized by the corporatization of our society. Everything is disposable, and it is unfortunately a question of affordability for 99 percent of the populace.
I have to agree with Typo_Knig that a great craftsman can come from any background, but I do not agree that Tyler's education will allow him to surpass Ryan so easily. It will certainly do a great job instilling knowledge and principles, but in my opinion Tyler's skill and talent will approach but not exceed Ryan's work and experience.
ReplyDeleteI believe that craftsmanship is arguably a form of art that one may spend a (relatively) short amount of time learning, and a lifetime trying to master.
In terms of what craftsmanship or more relevantly good craftsmanship is I think it is simply the creation of something/anything (a good or a service) that is able to achieve its intended purpose.
ReplyDeletefor example if you need something as simple as a paperweight anything remotely heavy functions so long as your only purpose is to keep a stack of papers from being moved around. Naturally things get much more complicated once factors like being able to pick it up/ comfort / aesthetics come into play, but once those elements are included it takes on a much greater purpose than just weighing down those papers and the craft of the object must reflect that (for it to be a successful or well crafted object)
You also discussed the issue of craftsmanship relative to ones available tools and that really shouldn't be an issue. Any good craftsman should be able to understand the limitations of their tools and adjust the product they are producing accordingly. So the tools used are irrelevant, naturally a well crafted tool is crucial for creating a well crafted final product, but by well crafted tool i merely mean a tool that is able to perform its intended task successfully and consistently. For a more tangible example if you have a tool that is meant to cut 1" circles and it is able to make perfect 1" circles every time then it is a well crafted tool. it is then up to the crafts person to 1 use the tool properly and 2 realize that if he needs to create 2" circles that this isnt the correct tool. suppose this same tool designed to create 1" circles actually creates 2" circles, it is a poorly crafted tool and it is up to the person working with the tool to recognize that if he needs 1" circles that this is not the tool to use.
Also push yourself to get even more general than craftsmanship. why do we even need to make things? what is the difference between making and finding why do we feel the need to do either? I think that maybe just looking at creation as a medium of solving problems might be a much more broad place to start before discussing the importance of craftsmanship within that. but what is the difference between making a walking staff and finding a stick if they fulfill the same purpose? can the repurposing the found stick as a walking staff be considered "creating" a walking staff in the same way that a wood worker would "create" a walking stick with purchased materials? Can they both be considered well crafted? I say yes
In comparing the 7 year experienced saw maker and the 7 year educated saw maker, I would agree that experience has the upper hand but does not make the "best" saw. Neither would. If both worked together combining education and experience, that would result in the highest quality of work. As for quality vs quantity (cost efficiency), I believe that, again, a synthesis of the two results in the best kind of work that is realistic and responsible to society. By maximizing quality of craft while managing cost, it makes something that of good quality affordable to a larger group of people. Overall I believe that dualities limit the potential of the object or idea. To apply an idea of architecture, the synthesis of all ideas in the right balance leads to the best work.
ReplyDeleteAs an empiricist myself, I'm inclined to accept your definition of craftsmanship. With a single caveat I'll make now, just to get it out of the way: by placing the critical condition of 'craftsmanship' on the relationship between the tool and the end user (or, more generally, between any object and its end user)...that is, in your words, when an object is applied to the world, then we seem to be making an ojectively discoverable theory, yet in practice being able to conclusively evaluate it seems impossible.
ReplyDeleteWe could ask "What is the purpose of the saw?" and to one man it might be reliability and ease, while to another it might be strength and economy. But even if we could agree on the purpose, creating a measure of that purpose is equally difficult. A $10 saw that lasts a thousand cuts is clearly not cheaper than a $20 saw that lasts three thousand...unless the forest is completely felled in 500 cuts then even the cheap saw is over-designed.
But I still like where the concept leads us. We may not be able to get to a definitive answer on any one product's degree of craftsmanship, but if we accept that difficulty, it allows for a clear framework to discuss any product's virtues. It becomes the compare and contrast between the fully warranteed tool from Harbor Freight and the same tool made by Craftsman forty years ago. When you factor in the time and aggravation of having to return a tool that breaks, that Harbor Freight discount no longer seems so wise. There are large negative externalities in inexpensive (and low quality) goods. They break, they don't perform as expected.
But this is all from the perspective of the consumer. It's contentious to define it on the consumer end it seems to me. But to see it from the production end, whether as artist or CEO, it becomes a truism. It is 'the customer is always right.' So we clearly believe it. But I think it's a complex issue that doesn't resolve itself through a feel-good questionaire: "Did you like the way you could sit in the chair we sold you?"