'Master'

 

As with most words in English, the word 'master' does a lot of heavy lifting.

It can be a title.  It can be an adverb.  It can describe a process of becoming.  A way to accredit someone with in depth knowledge.  To pass a 'master' class is to - in some way - quantify their knowledge.  If they have this certificate, they should know the information covered by the granting of said title/certificate.

But one doesn't need to earn a degree or certificate to be a 'master'.  They only need to have the knowledge required to make good decisions.  To understand their equipment.  Their materials.  Their processes.  To be able to spot a mistake when it happens (or foresee it happening and prevent it), and then fix it when/if something goes wrong.  They will know the accepted 'rules' and be able to 'break' them effectively.

So I set out to challenge myself in the way that made the most sense to me - I worked on the Guild of Canadian Weavers certificate program.  

I also kept pushing boundaries, reading, working, above all *weaving* as much as I could, learning as much as I could.

But the GCW is a testing program, not a teaching program.

With the rise of covid, a number of people have jumped into teaching on line.  There were a few people who were already moving in that direction, but there are more now.  There are classes, workshops, some people working at setting up 'schools'.  It is quite encouraging to see that these programs are being supported.

One reason is that no one needs to travel.  Not the instructors.  Not the students.  Above all, if you have decent internet, they are accessible and I'm hearing from some people that they have never before been able to take a class because of their health.  

In the end it doesn't matter if someone gets a 'title'.  What matters is that we keep the knowledge alive and the craft growing.  I have a feeling that covid will not be our last pandemic and that as climate change gets worse, there will be less opportunity to travel as well.

Stay safe everyone.  Stay well.