March 30th, 2008
What Makes A Craft A Fine Craft
What makes any Craft A Fine Craft? Well the value of a craft can be approached in many ways. Two main ways we look at crafts are aesthetically and functionally or both. The first is only a desire for someone to want to actively interact with the piece. In essence it is the level that someone is initially draw to it, visually and functionally. It’s the “I have to have that. It will look great in my home ”. A fine craft in this case is something that adds to your daily pleasure. It is the equivalent to great content that offers ongoing value to your life.
Other fine crafts may be an individual perception of quality in craftsmanship. It usually is a combination of materials designed, applied, and shaped to levels generally that require greater skill and creativity. These crafts also interact with you aesthetically and functionally, but you may not be draw to them initially in that way. The reputation and the skill required to create the craft has a big part in why you are drawn to them.
The final way a Fine Craft is qualified, is with value. More of a combination of the aesthetic, the difficulty and the demand. Is this craft something that is desirable and available? It is determined by market demand as an investment first and a product second.
Really, any craft is a fine craft when each individual ask the question.
Will this add value to my life functionally, aesthetically or financially?