So here's a question/topic for all of you out there...
Do you consider yourself a Jeweler? a Maker? a Designer? an Artist? a Craftsperson?
What do you think the differences are between those? Do you feel like you fit into multiple categories or not fit in to any of those? How would you introduce yourself?
Comment away! Or find me and talk in person too.....
3 comments:
Jenn, is there something that this question stems from? What makes you differentiate those particular titles?
I would have to say I think of myself as a jeweler and crafter and thus every other category posted.
I believe most literature I've come across about the distinctions is generally anti-"craft". I strongly disagree with the notion craft is not art.
-S
Don't care.
Not to be rude or anything . . .
The question really comes from looking at how various people self-identify. I see quite a few of the definitions blurring, yet I still have distinctions in my head holding over from shows and undergrad.
I think that how people identify themselves says a lot about how they think of themselves and their work fitting into the world. I previously would've called myself a jeweler. Now I would consider myself a jeweler only sometimes. More of a maker and an artist. Post-grad school I expect to be more of a maker and designer.
Distinctions for me-
When I think of jeweler, I think more traditionally wearable. Or with wearability being a key consideration. I don't think I'm considering that enough to warrantcalling myself a jeweler right now unless I'm doing commissions.
Maker- I make things. I create. This for me has the hand-on, working in the studio aspect to it.
Designer for me is when you aren't making the object- you may be outsourcing the entire thing, or something else. But I consider myself to be a design when I hand off the spec/sketches and have an object come back. To me this also removes the mid-making ability to change your design if the materials are telling you something else... which is something that I do a lot, and I think I'd miss...
Artist to me is when you are making work with a deeper purpose at heart. Something that is also a statment of beliefs, ideas, commentary, something that also isn't immediately obvious; that makes you think about the work and puzzle it out.
Craftsperson overlaps with artist quite a bit, but with this term I see the emphasis on the process and the medium of the work, less on the ideas.
Feel free to agree/disagree with any of this. I agree that the notion that craft can't be art is false. However, I believe that not all craft is art. Some of it is craft.
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