I'm having a lovely time in sunny France! Getting to catch up on lots of reading and have also started crocheting away. I've so far managed to finish my goldfish- just the snails and owls to go- God bless Etsy!

I took part in a fascinating talk with Tim McCreight last Friday night. It was hosted by the Precious Metal Clay Guild and took place at the London Metropolitan University. The talk mainly centred around themes such as:
professional vs amateur
what does hobbyist mean- and is it a derogatory term?
self-taught versus taught etc.

It was a really fascinating evening, and Tim had some very interesting comments on the subjects. I think his best one was- when talking about the subject of production work (a hot topic in all areas of beading and jewellery making) how he had previously not liked the idea etc until one day he told himself to 'get over it'- fantastic advice for many people.

There seems to be the idea that the use of production work etc devalues an art of a craft. I don't see that. I think not only is there plenty of room for all different scales of work and ways of working, but that it really isn't anyone's place to tell someone else how to work. How someone works is their individual decision and there are any number of reasons people make the choices they do- and that's their decision.

As to the idea of devaluing an art or craft- did Rembrandt's or Henry Moore's use of assistants mean we all have no respect now for painters or sculptors? Or did it mean that their work was able to be shared with a wider audience who may not have had access to it otherwise? Does the use of prints by an artist (many of whom do not make the individual prints) devalue their original artwork, or bring affordable artwork to the 'masses'?

I think it's a really interesting subject, and one that has blown up in recent years with artists such as Damien Hirst using assistants, and even his children, openly. You can read more here.

Anyway, back to happier subjects- France and holidays! I've got lots planned for the rest of the week so check back soon to see what I'm up to.