Posted on
“A craftsman works with his hands, an artisan works with his head and his hands, and an artist works with his heart, his head and his hands.”
Ever since Symbology Clothing came to be, the term Artisan was used to describe the maker behind our garments. Many fair-trade labels like Symbology have used the word Artisan to describe hand embroiderers, block printers, jewelry makers, and overall, skilled craftspeople.
Starting today, we are using the term Artist in replacement of Artisan. We are doing so, because we recognize a great divide between Artist and Artisan, but an even greater divide between craft and art, and the stigmas against textiles (and other specializations) in the art industry. Furthermore, we recognize our hand embroiderers and block printers as artists.
Synonymous to craftsperson, skilled worker, and technician, the term Artisan is usually disassociated away from the fine art world. There is a lurking stigma that perceives artisans as laborers with less artistic intelligence in comparison to artists.
Although we do not see any injustice in using the term Artisan, we do believe that it does not fully reflect the complexities of artistic ability and talent that our artists possess. Here at Symbology, we believe that our hand embroiderers and block printers are creative geniuses who put their heart and soul into their final pieces. We pride in our artists, their work, and their contribution to economic growth and stability.