Opposites. Disparate elements held harmoniously in the same space at the same time. Learning from each other. Becoming together.

The moment we smash science and art together, we induce transformation.

When we describe nursing as a science and an art, we’re not talking about a profession. We’re talking about a craft.

Profession serves as a decent reference point, but it’s more science than art. Profession is a regimented, pre-defined skill set that instills technical proficiency in yesterday’s technologies and molds us into a socialized way of being. Professionals belong to a tribe. They become experts.

Craft is capacity expansion. It is science contoured; profession nuanced. Craft plays by simple rules, extends itself beyond pre-determined boundaries, and gleans from adjacent communities. Craft is borne of self-leadership, using yesterday’s tech to invent the future. Craftsmen become masters.

Professionals play to win. Craftsman play to learn.

The professional asks, “What is right and necessary? What am I supposed to do?”

The craftsman asks, “What is effective and beneficial? Who am I called to be?”