DILETTANTE: Master of None, Lovers of Many...

_{Please don’t mind one shelf being a little askew—the two clamps on the back were supposed to be crossed, but, well… they aren’t. It was our first of many to come!}

DILETTANTES

I had never heard this word before.

The definition says something… but what I understood is: a wannabe artist?

Art comes in so many forms—

The art of speaking
The art of writing
The art of storytelling
The art of poetry

But for me (not that anyone asked for my opinion), the most difficult and highest form of art has always been painting and drawing, capturing an image, a moment, a person. It's the zenith! You may think otherwise; definitions of art can vary, just like the concept itself.

And this is the kind of art that cannot truly be learned… Either you are an artist, or you are not! You are born with these skills. You may refine them, tailor them, and perfect them. But no, you can't learn them or even unlearn them. Again, just my opinion.

Someone like me, utterly talentless in this regard, can only watch in awe. Or as they say a wannabe artist.

دل بہلانے کو یہ خیال اچھا ہے غالب

"To comfort the heart, this thought is good, Ghalib."

But that's not what this post is about. I have to tell you a story indeed!

He had spent his life chopping wood. He never questioned it, just swung his axe, felled trees, and sold the logs. His father had done it, his grandfather had done it, and his forefathers before them.

One day, he saw a sculptor in the market, carving a magnificent wooden horse. The muscles, the flowing mane: wow, just wow. It looked alive. He touched it and was just awe struck.

Mesmerized, he asked, “This is wood?”

The sculptor chuckled. “Wood is just the beginning. Art is what you bring out of it.” Art? What is art?

That night, he couldn’t shake the thought. Had he wasted his life cutting what could have been masterpieces?

The next day, he bought chisels, sat before a log, and began carving. Hours passed. His hands ached. The more he chipped away, the uglier it got. A horse? No, it looked like a lumpy potato. Ugh!

Day after day, he tried. The sculptor even gave him tips. But no matter how hard he worked, his carvings remained lifeless...

One evening, after weeks of frustration, he stared at a wooden block in defeat. “Why can’t I do this?”

The sculptor sighed. “Because art isn’t just in the hands. It’s in the soul. You can sharpen tools, but not what isn’t there.”

He looked at his axe, at the clean, sharp lines it made with a single swing. That, at least, he knew.

The next morning, he picked up his axe again.

He would never be an artist, not even a dilettante, but he could give wood to those who were.

The sculptor said, "Artist or not, you are definitely a woodcutter through and through. You tame these towering giants for us to play with. You, my man, are a true craftsman."

The sculptor said, "Artist or not, you are a woodcutter through and through. You tame these towering giants for us to play with. You, my man, are a true craftsman."

Did he just call him an artist without actually using the word? I think: Yes.

---

Wait! I just came up with a better explanation for the term dilettante! It’s essentially the same as "jack of all trades, master of none."

Which makes my choice of title for this post an easy one. Hihi.

See for yourself if you haven’t yet!

Ugh! Now I am wondering...

Am I a dilettante? Is it a good thing or a bad one? What difference does it make? Who cares — as long as it's fun! 😉