Craft vs. Impulse.

I've been learning to appreciate them both recently, and how each can compliments the other.  For the past couple of years I've been slowly learning the benefits of "craft."  Craft isn't necessarily a skill that one hones over a period of time.  Let's consider it simply to be the process of thoughtful analyzation of a situation.  This could be a personal situation, a professional situation, or what have you.  As I said, I've been applying this more and more to great benefit.  It may be easier to define "craft" by defining what it is not.  It is not "impulse."  Anything past impulse is "craft" as far as this post is concerned.  Let us not, though, let "impulse" turn into a dirty word.  I will admit that for some time I had had a hard time trusting my impulse.  My judgement was clouded by work, life, school, etc.  I looked at impulse as a dangerous being.  I may have felt more "in control" of the situation, but something happened that I can't ever let happen again: I lost my creativity.  And I didn't even really realize it, but during the past few months I've been digging further and further into myself and discovering my dear friend Mr. Creative again and for the first time in awhile I get downright giddy when I have an impulsion of thought.  You should see my notebooks (although I wouldn't let you for a million dollars...), illegible scratches fill their pages, full of passion of the moment.

When it gets down to it, it can't be safe to rely on just one of these forces.  Without craft we would have chaos.  Without impulse we would have nothing.