There's no such thing as a "master jeweler".

7/14/2016

That's right. I said it. You may not agree, and that's fine. Opinions like this are just as subjective as the statements which spawn them and we can only decide for ourselves what we believe to be true.

How do we define "mastery"? This doesn't have to relate to jewelry, of course, but any creative or artistic endeavor, skill or trade. And more importantly, who defines it? Who, I wonder, is so versed in anything that they can declare themselves or anyone else a master of it? These are the questions I ask myself and put before you, dear reader. I don't have an answer. I've never met a master of anything and would definitely not consider myself one.

I think, on some level, there is this idea that being a master of some skill somehow means there is nothing left to learn. That all the world can teach us has been absorbed. One definition of the term mastery is "control or superiority over someone or something" and I'm not sure how anyone could possibly ever control the creative flow that results in artistic work. I'm not sure I like to box the idea of creativity into something tangible enough to be mastered at all.

Can you have skill? Of course. And skill can be learned. Skill can be honed and perfected. But I'm not sure that, for me, equates to a mastery over something, especially not a creative endeavor when often its success or failure is entirely dependent upon our own (or others) interaction with the endeavor... the opinions we form about it. And we all know what they say about opinions.....

"The greatest deception men suffer is from their own opinions."
~Leonardo da Vinci

So I ask you, and would love to hear your opinions below, how do you define mastery? Do you believe it's attainable? And if it is, should it be? I've never considered myself a master of anything and, for me, that's not a bad thing. It's not a judgment against myself. I could make jewelry, draw, photograph, paint, write for the next 20 years and still never be a master of any one of them. I'm not sure I'd want to be. Somehow, for me, there is a loneliness there... in the idea of mastery. I'd much rather surround myself with the joy of failures, of endless discovery and I always.... forever....want my art to teach me something new every day. I always want to be its student. How about you??

1 Comment

Lisa Jenkins

8/7/2016 03:48:09 am

I have thought about this subject since you first published this blog. If we look at the definition of "Mastery", it is defined as: comprehensive knowledge or skill in a subject or accomplishment.

I would say that you definitely have a comprehensive knowledge and skill set with wire weaving. There is a natural flow to your designs and your influence is very prevalent and easily recognized when I look at other peoples work on line.

I believe that a true master knows, that they have much more to learn and will continue to refine and progress their craft. I also believe that the best way to become a 'master' is to teach others and you are an excellent teacher.

I was afraid when I purchased my first PDF tutorial from you, because I actually prefer video so much more and I seem to learn way easier with video. However, your PDF tutorials are so well written and demonstrated that they are very easy to follow. There again another true quality of being a master, being able to effectively teach.

And as I am responding to this on 8/6/16, I will probably semi-mix some responses to this with other subjects you have touched on recently. I have been playing with wire for about a year now and didn't really get into wire weaving until Sept or Oct of last year. I remember that I made your enwraptured heart pendant for Christmas for my daughter last year. I was actually proud after I made it. I thought it turned out beautiful and it was hard to fathom that a couple of pieces of wire could turn into something so beautiful and by my own hand, even more shocking.

And then of course the realization that, yes this is beautiful and yes, technically I made it, but it's not my design. So here comes the self criticism and self doubt and all the other negative stuff that seems to bubble up to, 'put you back in your place,' when you are starting to feel too good about yourself (speaking about me of course). I have made a lot of your pieces for other people now, who love them, but the question always comes, is this your design?

I thought a lot about that for a long time and after listening to an interview with a famous composer, sorry I have no idea what his name is, he played piano and has been retired for some time now, but it was an interview on his thoughts about life. It made me realize that even though this man was a famous composer, he spent most of his time perfecting the playing of music that had been composed by someone else and there was no one asking him whether or not he had written the songs.

I believe we are evolving faster, at least on some levels, due to the fact that so much information is available and there are so many ways to learn. So, in a matter of a couple of months, I was fortunate enough to learn how to make a gorgeous necklace, whether or not it was my design, because I got to stand on the shoulders of people like you, who have shortened the learning curve drastically for the rest of us who come behind you. It doesn't get more 'master' than that.

Now a wonderful "guru" Marissa Peer, would say the best mantra for everyone is, "I AM ENOUGH." She would also suggest that it be written on every mirror of your home, so that every time you look into it you know, I am enough. That whatever contribution we make to the betterment of others, regardless of how small, is significant.

Now regardless of how we define 'master, I thank you for sharing your craft so openly and expertly. For all the lovely tutorials this week and for the thought provoking blogs. And as far as the crafting nemesis is concerned, I find that I have the most issues with your 'simplest' designs. If you have a design that is 'very advanced," I don't seem to have nearly as many issues with that as the ones that are 'easy.'

I did join the on line art retreat for jewelry. I have almost finished the pocket watch pendant. I will finish it and then submit a photo for you there, but afterwards I will be cutting it apart and re-doing it as I'm not enamored with the top of it. It really only needs some minor tweaking on the 2nd go round, but until it was done the first time, there was no way to know that.

So for now, I will continue to refine my skill set working on stunning designs from you and be proud of the work I accomplish, pushing towards a time when the design will be mine, or not who knows.

I look forward to the finish it project. Should be fun!

And congratulations on the jewelry kits!

There's no such thing as a "master jeweler".

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