2+ week, 7+ hour ago (602+ words) With the holiday season settling in " a time of giving, reflection, and celebration for many " I've been thinking a lot about artisans, the people who devote themselves to a craft, who stay with the work long after the novelty wears off. And I've been wondering whether we, as a society, still value them the way we should. That question took me back to my first failed attempt at college. I was a 22-year-old music composition major then, carrying three years of military service, a tour in Bosnia, and plenty of family turmoil on my shoulders. I was not an ideal student. I was stubborn and frustrated, sitting in freshman-level classes that felt beneath me. Instead of composing great works, I was stuck in piano basics and weekly exercises inside the Finale notation program. I spent long hours on assignments I…...