The Only Way to Master Your Craft

A glassblower’s journey to mastery and its similarities to the craft of writing.

Sitting in the Murano glass factory, they treated us to a show of a well-practiced artisan creating a vase and a stallion out of glass. The announcer explained to us that this master spent over 20 years working on his craft.

They go into meticulous detail of the tiny, monotonous, hot, sweaty, dreary work that it takes to become an artisan.

This makes me think about the time that I put into my craft. Have I made the sacrifices? Do I show up every day? Is there something that I have overlooked?

There are fewer physical risks involved in writing than in glassblowing. We don’t sweat in front of the glory hole or blow our own air through metal pipes into molten glass. We don’t delicately handle that glass with metal tools. There are differences.

What is interesting is where there are similarities.

Similarities like hard work. Dedication to the pursuit, even when rewards are negligible. Showing up each day and producing art. Using tools and techniques as old as time itself.

There are lessons in there for me. What can you take away from thinking on masters in our craft and that of others?