art and craft

 I was having a chat with a couple of clients the other day about the difference between "art" and "craft" and how testy people get when they get referred to by the name they DON'T approve of.  I consider myself both.  What is the difference between an artistand a crafter, an artisan and a designer?

 My theory is an artist creates their own one of a kind work entirely from scratch and a crafter tends to follow a pattern, even if the pattern is of their own making.  But that doesn't explain the folks that take craft to a high art.  Think quilting or basketry.  But does that theory  negate the artists that seem to do the same thing over and over because they love making it or because it sells?

That theory also doesn't explain the transcendence of practical products, like weaving, or knitting. Or the art of display or juxtaposition.  OK, so maybe I don't have a theory...

PS - When I did spell check on this post, Blogger didn't recognize "crafter" as a word.  Now, THAT gets my dander up!!!

PPS - the top photo is from the "pile o' supplies" in my prior post.