crafting product
There may be people who chose the path of an artist because they initially felt different from others. But eventually, they realize something: 'Just insisting that you are different from others cannot sustain art or originality.' In the end, artists accept that they are not so different from others. This is because an artist cannot be separated from community. Artists live by disciplining themselves, standing between the beauty they cannot let go of and the community they cannot be separated from. That's why true artists despise nothing. They bear the responsibility to understand rather than judge. - Albert Camus
When asked myself what I wanted to contribute to the world with what I have, I concluded that I wanted to create something beautiful. And this led to defining what "beauty" is all about. As Camus said, the beauty I envision must be something that can be enjoyed within a community. Nevertheless, this beauty must also satisfy my subjective criteria. This inevitably creates a tug-of-war, and what makes this interesting is that what satisfies the community I belong to changes over time regardless of the scope of that community, and what I subjectively find beautiful also changes due to new inputs and experiences that come to me.
The pursuit of beauty is, by my definition, inevitably a journey toward balance, but the fact that everything that needs to be balanced exhibits recursive properties and changes moment by moment makes this process a path of constant struggle. From this perspective, the act of Crafting beautiful products reminds me of Sisyphus. The longing for balance.
Even if one succeeds in the Sisyphean labor of elevating the stone to its apex, that moment of perfect balance remains ephemeral. Nevertheless, there exists a profound satisfaction in having achieved this temporary harmony, alongside the inevitable awareness that the journey must begin anew. From this tension emerges an unwavering determination—a defiant will that drives one to embrace the challenge again, accepting the struggle as meaningful in itself. This cycle of effort, achievement, loss, and renewal captures my essential mindset when creating products.
In essence, this becomes a form of spiritual practice for existence itself. I realized that this pursuit might endure beyond my initial expectations. In the rhythmic labor of ascending with the stone, I cultivate both unwavering attentiveness and heightened self-awareness. In moments of emotional turbulence, my cultivated persistence becomes a shield—a means to transcend the transient feelings that might otherwise derail my journey.
Through this process, the act of Crafting becomes interwoven with the fabric of my existence, bringing clarity to my consciousness and deepening my understanding of both self and community. The creation of beauty and wonder, coupled with the knowledge that even apparent success is transient—requiring renewed effort after inevitable descent—transforms this perpetual cycle into something profound. It is precisely this endless rhythm of creation, dissolution, and recreation that imbues the act of making products with philosophical significance in my life.