Just rewatched Jiro Dreams of Sushi for the umpteenth time. A major element of the documentary is the concept of “shokunin” — a concept in which one’s craft is so infectious in one’s being that it becomes a way of life. Rather than being a jack of all trades, they isolate a specific good or service and hone the production of said thing over their lifetime, with the ultimate hope that they serve the greater good. This is utterly, utterly attractive to me. Now, in my workspace, this has always been interesting in a couple ways. First, what it is that I wish to be a shokunin in (modern visual novels) was not precisely defined prior to my efforts. So I had to define the thing prior to actively polishing and improving my craft of creating the thing. Second, given that the craft has not yet been fully market tested, the “serve the greater good” end goal has been indefinite. Without this element, what is the point of being a shokunin? These two elements seem to be mostly alleviated, with the first being solved by the “rules of MVNs”, and the second being shown by other products that follow said rules* being financially successful in a way that seems to me not to be predatory.† Another aspect of shokunin that I adore is that their work is lifelong, rather than a temporary way to make ends meet. These are the type of people who are quite averse to the idea of retirement. It does not make sense to them. I, once again, relate to this. What would one do with life without their craft?
*MAHOUTEQ! and Endless Monday: Dreams and Deadlines being the two most recent examples I’m currently reading through. Both of which have had moderate to immense success. Unfortunately, I can’t yet point to my own work as a market verified example, haha. †I don’t believe, however, that someone who is a skilled craftsman with the targeted purpose of self gain would be considered shokunin. So many large “influencers”, tech entrepreneurs or unhealthy snack manufacturers may have honed their abilities immensely, but would not fall under the definition of shokunin.