Description
Craftsmen can be defined as people who practice a trade or craft, especially by creating something with their hands that involves creativity, skill, and dexterity. This field includes a broad spectrum of careers, such as Furniture Makers, Jewellery Designers, Rug Weavers, Textile Designers, Ceramicists, Silversmiths, Blacksmiths, among so many others.
Traditional Craftsmanship is even considered an intangible cultural heritage by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). Instead of protecting and focusing on the end craft product, the organization concentrates on encouraging Artisans and Craftsmen to continue making their products and passing their skills and knowledge along to others within their own communities.
Tasks Overview
Craftsmanship professionals are usually responsible for the following:
- Designing, fabricating, creating, and making a number of products.
- Using their imagination, skills, and creativity to bring to life their vision.
- Being able to use different materials, hand tools, and equipment.
- Building a network of clients, industry contacts, vendors, and suppliers.
- Keeping up-to-date with the latest market trends.
- Working alongside a client or designer.
All professionals working in the Craftsmanship field usually share the same characteristics, which include, but are not limited to:
- Being creative and having a keen eye for detail.
- Having outstanding commercial awareness.
- Coming up with new ideas and developing their own.
- Being business savvy, diligent, and great at networking.
- Being structured and detail-oriented.
- Being dexterous, having enough physical strength, and great hand-eye coordination.
If a person decides to enter this field, they won’t only need to have innate talent and an expansive imagination, but they will also need to have commercial awareness and the ability to sell themselves along with their work.
Most professionals in the area are likely to be self-employed or to work freelance; most of the work carried out in this area is usually project-based and deadline-driven. Careers in the Craftsmanship industry depend greatly on the reputation, technical and artistic skills, portfolio, creativity, and experience of the candidate.
Although most careers in the Craftsmanship industry don’t require a degree or certification, most job offers prefer a trade school certification in the designated field of expertise, as well as an apprenticeship with an experienced professional in the area.