A thing created with wood, clay, fibers, ceramics, whatever, can be a piece of art. Or it can be just a thing put together, like a regular door to a regular house: something functional, maybe a little flair with color or trim, but otherwise purely functional. Nothing artistic about that.

But a one-of-a-kind door made from salvaged barn wood, with hand-pounded copper accents becomes something crafted. You can see the work that an craftsman put into it. It stands out and is unique. You know looking at it that it is different than the door you might find in a big box store.

But an object made as a piece of art is something different than crafted. It should tell a story. The handcrafted door is beautiful and unique, but a door doesn't have a story to tell, unless it's a statement of some kind. Is it a doorway from one reality, into another, or a doorway that only allows movement in one direction? Is it a doorway that stands alone, in the middle of nowhere, where no walls exist? Is it a doorway that when you look at it, you are forced to ponder the possibilities, and wonder what the point is?

I would say that door is an object with a story to tell.