“The tool doesn’t make the artist.”

I have seen this comment in many variations. It pops up every now and again in pyro groups when someone wants to upgrade from a craft burner to a wire tip… awe the guilt. This comment is both correct and incorrect. Follow me into the rabbit hole and let me explain.

Picture this:

You’re newer to pyrography and have joined every pyro group you can find. You’re scrolling through the posts and you’re fantasizing about being half as good as these other artists. You ask yourself, “why doesn’t my burning look like this?” which is almost always followed up with something like “what am I doing wrong?”.

You go through a mental checklist of what you have learned so far: sand my wood ✔ transfer using graphite ✔practice burning… well kind of, the craft burner is hot & uncomfortable. I love burning and I could spend more time practicing, but I hate my burner. You reread their posts and see they are using a wire tip burner. “That’s it!” you say feeling as if you solved the biggest problem.

You do some research and pick the wire tip burner you want. That night you order it and then fall asleep thinking of all of this fantastic art you will now be able to burn. Or maybe you don’t and it’s only me that falls asleep visualizing a burning… lol! Anyway, the box final arrives with your new toy. You grab it and rip it open next to a pile of sanded wood, ready to go. You scan the instructions and toss them aside and start setting up. I know most of you reading do this. (Insert a big cheesy grin and head nod here)

You sit down and start working on an elaborate piece you had ready for this day. You are excited because this new wood burner is going to change everything.  You burn for hours as the pen is more comfortable overall. You are able to get better details and shading. Head close to the board and super focused, you get the burning completed in about 4 hours. You turn off the burner, raise up your head, and sigh “all done". You quickly look over it as you get up from your chair, proud of your piece and happy with the new wood burner. You should be proud of yourself, you completed a project.

Before bed, you go look at your piece with new eyes. It isn’t as good as you thought. It doesn’t look like those artist’s pieces you saw in the groups. “I thought the new burner would fix this!”, you think to yourself. You go to bed frustrated and confused… and scene.

Now let’s go back to the original comment “the tool doesn’t make the artist”, how is it correct? It is correct in that no burner is going to create the burning you want, only you can. You aren’t going to plug in the pen and automatically turn into Da Vinci or any other master artist. I wish it did!

However, why is the comment incorrect? Why because, the burner does allow the artist to become what they want, in essence allowing you to be the creative you want to be. It takes hours upon hours… heck throw in more hours just to make sure; to really get burning down and your confidence up. I've spent 15 years burning and I am still not where I want to be, yet!

The bottom line is, the more you connect and spend with your burner, the more you learn and grow. Without a connection or rather friendship with your burner, you won’t take the biggest step needed… time. If the burner pen is hot or uncomfortable, you just aren’t going to spend the time really needed to learn. You might do a burning here and there, but that just isn’t going to get you where you fantasized about being. Your burner needs you just as much as you need it to create. It is more than just some tool you toss to the side.

This also applies to those who abuse their burning pens /tips. WHY do this??? I've seen comments like “I can just buy another tip/pen". Sure you can, but why do it? Turn down your heat and stop using abrasives like sand paper or wire brushes to clean your wire tips. There is no reason to spend more money than you have too.

Think of your burning pen as an extension of you and your hand. You wouldn’t intentionally damage your hand because it wasn’t creating the best art, so why do this to your burning pen? When you connect more with your burner, you connect more to your art and yourself. This is what makes a piece of art great.

Your wood burner is just an object, a product; but you still make an emotional connection with it. The tool does and doesn’t make the artist as it is only an extension of you. You either love it or hate it. You can hate your wood burner, but love wood burning. This is the tool disconnect which needs to be resolved. Never let someone make you feel guilty about changing burners. It's your choice! Lastly, never expect to wake up a master artist based on a tool. It takes time, learning and patience. Give yourself the time and make that connection, you will get there.

*Note: I intentionally didn’t mention any burner brands as this is about you and your wood burner. If you are wondering how I did find the best wire tip burner, click here.