Mastery and Inspiration

 This is something Rico and I often talk about; the ongoing argument between craftsmen about which is more important, mastery or inspiration.

 It takes almost a lifetime to master a skill and that's quite an accomplishment. The teacher instructs the student to do the same thing over and over and over again and he hates it. He wants to do the thing he's inspired to do. But he obeys the teacher and he learns from it, he memorizes it.

 Many feel that mastery is the most important, but there is a saying (it's actually from the Bible) that we can do all sorts of fancy things, but if we don't have love we're just making a bunch of meaningless noise. (Paraphrased). I think mastery is good, but it can be harmful if used in the wrong way.

 Remember the first time you did that thing you used to love? Your first painting, your first carving... ? You had absolutely no skills at all but you had the inspiration. And in the world of creativity, inspiration is the same as love. Your first craft was something special. Sure, you can become a master, crank out millions of the same products over and over, but will they give you that same joy? Will someone see it and say, "That's special. I want that" ?

 I think mastery has its place. Something well made has to have good form. Mastery helps with form. You memorize what good form is. It looks nice, feels nice, it's functional, it doesn't snag, etc. You can achieve this with just inspiration, but mastery helps.

 I guess I can say that they're both important but, bottom line, inspiration is the best. It's what you live for. right? You want to make something beautiful, something special, something that changes your life for at least a moment. I choose inspiration.
~b