I heard a great line in a movie the other day that really hit home for me. A couple hours later it was still with me so I asked my wife if she caught the line…. We were watching the movie together. She asked  “what line was that” ? I repeated the line and she said “no didn’t hear or remember that one”.

Interesting how these things happen. The seen was set in an art class and was spoken by the instructor who wasn’t the lead.. the lead was in the class. It went by in just a few seconds but it hit on something I’ve thought about for years, the difference between art and craft.

So often said… ‘shaping and making surfboards is an art’. Or the person that is making a surfboard is an artist. I’ve never thought that, but rather that I am a craftsman. So then the question… is a craft art? Answer = yes.

So if crafting is art what is the difference between an art and a craft? It comes from the individual working their art or craft… and the line in the movie. “An artist strives for expression… a craftsman strives for perfection”.

My other life long endeavor is playing guitar… a performing art. So when I heard that line I saw exactly what the line meant… in life application. Because when you’re playing music you are expressing yourself. When I’m making a surfboard I am constantly in every stage of the process, from shaping through to the final detail I’m working on or trying to perfect what I’m making… a very nice surfboard.

D.R.  

Photography is an art.. A photographer I'm not.