#22: MASTERY, CRAFT, ART, SERVICE 

Want to Be a Star Someday? 

All adolescents dream of being good enough at something so that someday others will  - appreciate, respect, and perhaps even pay them for their talent. And, maybe next-gen followers will even need/ask for their expert help. 

But, we need – parents, teachers, coaches, colleagues and/or mentors – to help us master a chosen skill. And, “mastery” does have other dimensions to consider: craft, art and service. 

First, “mastery”. We go to - schools, academies, dojos, hot spots - to learn a foundation of specialized- vocabulary, concepts, skills, recipes, tactics, and strategies. This can require years of dedicated, disciplined practice to reach a credentialed degree or level. Every student’s path has, however, individual, idiosyncratic challenges. Each of us must do our own progress-problem-solving along the way. We learn in different ways and speeds. 

Next, “craft”. After reaching a certified level of excellence (as a: carpenter, electrician, brain surgeon, lawyer, tennis pro, etc.), there is much more experiential, holistic learning to do before we can truly master a craft. As we accumulate experience solving all kinds of problems, we start to build unique strengths within our chosen field. And, when we can perform seen-it-before solutions with automatic excellence, we might proactively start to investigate next, living-edge challenges that appeal to us. We could become innovators of new “art” that might someday become mastery “science” for those who follow.  

“Art!”.  If you Google: “who are famous (blank)?”  (Painters, writers, athletes, musicians, actors, surgeons, etc.). You will find individuals known for their unique brilliance and/or innovative breakthroughs within their field.  

All of these notables had to first master the basics of their field, then practice to reach a level of practical, automatic excellence to finally be able to see and explore next, living-edge possibilities. Examples: 

Stars contribute new breadth and/or depth to their respective field. The surface innovations are easier to see, understand and explain, but what about the depth? Why are we in awe when watching (on youtube) - Beethoven’s, six-minute, “Ode to Joy” chorus within his ninth symphony? It’s beyond our explanatory grasp. What kind of personal - passion, feelings, purpose and expression – did Beethoven infuse? And, the passion of all of the performers? 

Today we live in an infinitely digital -broad, shallow and distracting – world. Couldn’t we use more appreciation of and personal development of depth within our relationships and crafts?     

Finally, service. Best performers are not often best coaches. Many can be lonely, driven, curmudgeonly types. To be a great – teacher, coach, mentor – requires good interpersonal skills to meet each student empathetically and patiently within their current state.   

And, why do some experts choose to serve?  

• Often to pay back to both: the tradition that they have inherited and love; and the help that they received from others along their journey. 
• First-time teachers learn what they know more thoroughly while getting vicarious, renewed enthusiasm for their craft from excited students.
• And, trading tips with colleagues can help both parties improve. Even in sports, some stars help their challengers. It can improve the quality level of the rivalry and the overall sport. (But, most sharing, sports stars have yet more tricks as well as new ones that they are working on to keep their leadership edge.)   

Those Who Serve Are at Every Level of a Skill 

Effective – teachers, coaches, and mentors – don’t have to be the greatest ever. You can find them within local schools and hot spots for: contracting trades; art centers; writing groups; chess clubs; etc. These generous souls are always endeavoring to light a fire under curious beginners or help fledglings move to the next level. Their greatest thrill is to have students excel beyond what they have achieved. 

Conclusions

15K years ago everyone had the same, collective, simple survival: purpose, passion and skill set. Today, everyone has an overwhelming number of mastery paths to choose from for both employment and hobbies. With accelerating technological change, we must - to insure a lifetime of gainful employment  - learn how to: learn, unlearn and relearn. To do so, we have to learn the meta-skill of how to master the process of mastery plus: craft, art and service.    

Onward we go together to learn, master and serve!