Craftsmen & Artists

There aren’t any celebrities that I miss quite as much as Anthony Bourdain. For most of my life, the tide of the rise and fall of celebrities has passed me by, drifting outside my zone of interest. Bourdain was different. A man seemingly larger than life itself, Anthony was truly a man truly of the world — perhaps even a modern-day renaissance man. Before I read Kitchen Confidential, the book that propelled Bourdain into celebritydom, I knew him from Parts Unknown. A food show on the surface, Parts Unknown transcended travel, culture, race, and politics. Bourdain highlighted both the best and the worst in humanity: a man who worked relentlessly towards the mythical realm of elite French cooking in “the culinary underbelly”, yet still the man who showed me, and many others, how to be a citizen of the world.

Recently, I listened to a clip of Bourdain arguing that cooks boil down to either craftsmen or artists. Most cooks, chefs, and otherwise are craftsmen. They follow the rules, emulate that which was before them, and push the industry forward within the bounds set by artists they look up to. Artists, then, are those that innovate in new ways, and transform an industry from the ground up. “The great cathedrals of Europe were built by craftsmen — though not designed by them.” Craftsmen are masterful builders and operators, creating beautiful work that move the narrative forward. True artists, though, redefine the narrative. Artists are the ones who designed St. Paul’s and St. Peter’s, and changed the world in the process.

There’s nothing inherently right or wrong with being a craftsman or an artist. I’d argue that Jimi Hendrix and Kanye West were both artists — one revolutionizing the electric guitar and the other transforming hip-hop respectfully. Others that come to mind include Da Vinci, Michelangelo, and Goethe. Is there a purpose in categorizing people as either craftsmen or artists? Can someone be both?

I think it’s important to recognize that there aren’t that many artists in the world — and that’s okay. One is not better than the other, but both play important functions in society. Which one do you identify closer with?

This post was intially published as a part of the Penn State Presidential Leadership Academy. Its contents do not represent The Pennsylvania State University or the Penn State Presidential Leadership Academy

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