Craft versus mass

By Philip Dodson

Our world is now completely dominated by mass.

Small, crafted ‘art’ has been industrialised in the mass market production of goods and services.

The people involved in that process are no more than cogs in the machine and are denied the human pleasure of crafting something special, unique, different, and a work of love.

We are the poorer for mass in every way.

If you get an opportunity in life to craft something then take it.

It’s a magical world when we create rather than simply fulfil a process.

Santorini and daily art

Yesterday, I was searching images for something to inspire me for my daily art. Along with my blog and writing journal, I do a daily piece of art. Sometimes just a simple drawing, other times a more detailed painting.

I find the daily art hugely rewarding, a form of meditation, a time to switch off, unwind and relax.

It also leads me to find out about things, that perhaps I would have never done.

Santorini was created by one of the biggest volcanic eruptions ever and there was 200-foot thick deposit left on the island, one the largest deposits of material from a volcano ever recorded.

Yes, a beautiful island, famed for the blue domes and picturesque skyline of the main city of Fira. However, a place of extreme geological violence, that reminds me that the world we believe to be so certain can all be changed by the forces of the planet.

If you get a chance, pick up a pencil or paint and do some daily art, it’s fun, relaxing and you can learn too.

Sounds a bit like some naff advert for an art class, but it’s one of life’s pleasures that goes back to early humans painting the walls of their caves.