WHO IS AN ARTISAN?

I get annoyed with people who think they know more about the artisans than the artisans do. If someone is creating something, whether it's for commercial use or for strictly artistic merit, that person is an artisan. Regardless of the quality or lack of quality of someone's work, he or she is an artisan. A friend of mine created a delicious Thanksgiving dinner that she learned how to make from her mother. She is an artisan. She's a teacher. When she creates a wonderful experience for a student, she's being an artisan. When I write a story for the newspaper, I've created something and that makes me an artisan. When someone creates a bouquet of flowers, that person is an artisan.
I feel it is incorrect to define who is an artisan and who isn't just because their work is utilitarian or artistic. Either way, it's still a creation, and therefore qualifies as a handcraft. Regardless of the quality, it's a creation, and therefore qualifies the creator as an artisan. Every artisan has a story to tell, whether he or she has won many awards or none at all. Let's not miss the point of what's really happening in Michoacan. It's a hot bed of creation, filled by a powerful energy emanating from the hearts of every artisan and transmitted through their talented hands. The real importance isn't the quality or lack of quality, or whether it's utilitarian or artistic, but the very fact that they are doing it.