Have you ever noticed that masters of their craft have a reverence for their tools?
Maybe it’s the bike mechanic who takes really good care of her bike — lubing the chain, keeping the derailer’s high-lows lined up perfectly, etc. Maybe it’s a landscaper carefully oiling the hedge trimmer before/after use, stepping away from a giant shrubbery depiction of… Winged Victory. Maybe it’s a grandfather, carefully putting back his tools in their proper, outlined places. Maybe it’s a chef, always keeping the knife sharp enough to cut portals between worlds (like Will Parry’s in The Subtle Knife).
On Wednesday, I met the cartoonist of one of my favorite comics, Zits. His primary tool was the brush. When he described the brush, I couldn’t help but think of the wand dealer in J. K. Rowling’s Diagon Alley. The brush was made from hairs of the tail of a sable living in Siberia. The sable’s adaptation to the cold winters had made the hairs strong yet flexible. The brush costs $50. It lasts, if treated well, for one month, maybe two if you stretch it. No ordinary brush.
On top of that, the cartoonist mixed his own ink, from a thick ink with a thinner one, to get the viscosity he desired.
NB: Sometimes people make the mistake in believing that good tools/gear equates with being dedicated to your craft. Not so. Just because you have the best tool doesn’t mean you’ll know how to use it to best advantage. Yet, a dedication to your craft eventually leads you to seek good tools and materials, and sometimes, as with the hairs of the brush, the stories behind them.