Work and Identity

Karl Marx proposed that capitalism alienates workers when they are robbed of both their tools (means of production) and their creations (the results of their labor). 

I can understand why. We put a little bit of ourselves in our work, and every artist understands this feeling of giving birth. Giving out our mental womb and baby, not being able to identify for what purpose we work so hard every day, is a crushing sensation.

The opposite is true as well. Over-identifying with our work is equally harmful.

Most people can’t stand criticism because they take this feedback too personally. This is probably the biggest obstacle to an individual’s growth. 

Learning to distance ourselves from our work, just enough to develop the thick skin we need to reject the waste and absorb the nutrients thrown at us, is part of the artisan’s spirit.

We can do this by prioritizing the search for continuous self-improvement over an attachment to the outcomes of our work. The artisan takes greater pride in skills than in masterpieces. 

After all, few creations last forever: all that remains is how we spend our time on earth. Tying our entire identity to dead objects is absurd.