There are great satisfactions in most human activities, which paradoxically enough, can become traps for the unwary.
One such trap can occur when capability becomes virtuosity.
Virtuosity happens when capability is repeated often enough to become second nature, and can be recognised by the fact that one stops thinking about what one is doing, and just does it.
This can mean that if an activity, say stone carving, is done often enough, long enough and accompanied by critical thought on the processes involved, then capability beyond the ordinary will be achieved. This will, inevitably, become virtuosity and is admirable.
Now the trap for the unwary, is that such virtuosity and its practice, becomes an end in itself. This is in fact often seen. The work becomes more and more complex as the worker becomes more and more entranced with what they can achieve technically.
The work then becomes an exercise in extremely capable craftsmanship, which is not necessarily the same as a work of art. Artists should think about this !!
Avoiding the above can , and does produce another trap, which is the rejection of craftsmanship altogether. Art Colleges should think about this !!
