Dustin Cohen created a short but intimate interview that lets us into the world of a violin maker, and luckily shared it with the rest of us on Vimeo. Sam Zygmuntowicz discussed a little of how he pursues his passion of creating violins for those passionate about their music. Like anything creative, it’s a collaborative process between musician and craftsman. There’s nothing simple about putting together a violin because each one is uniquely made for its musician. And even once the final fitting has been made, Sam talks about how the violin itself continues to develop, until it is like a living being itself.
Craftsmen like Sam are part of a unique culture that celebrates the hand-crafted arts of which all of our society’s creativity was based upon. In some places, old world craftsmenship is part of a dying breed. But fortunately, a new generation of creatives who are thirsty for such knowledge is stepping up to take some of their places. We need to keep encouraging them so that we have a tangible reach to our creative past, and therefore a brighter chance for a prosperous creative future. Innovation never happens in a vacuum.
p.s. Read another interesting interview from back in 2007 where Sam was interviewed by Violinist.com here about his participation in the book of the same name, The Violin Maker.
