<P> A craft or trade is a pastime or a profession that requires particular skills and knowledge of skilled work . In a historical sense, particularly the Middle Ages and earlier, the term is usually applied to people occupied in small - scale production of goods, or their maintenance, for example by tinkers . The traditional term craftsman is nowadays often replaced by artisan and rarely by craftsperson (craftspeople). </P> <P> Historically, the more specialized crafts with high value products tended to concentrate in urban centers and formed guilds . The skill required by their professions and the need to be permanently involved in the exchange of goods often demanded a generally higher level of education, and craftsmen were usually in a more privileged position than the peasantry in societal hierarchy . The households of craftsmen were not as self - sufficient as those of people engaged in agricultural work and therefore had to rely on the exchange of goods . Some crafts, especially in areas such as pottery, woodworking, and the various stages of textile production, could be practiced on a part - time basis by those also working in agriculture, and often formed part of village life . </P> <P> Once an apprentice of a craft had finished his apprenticeship, he would become a journeyman searching for a place to set up his own shop and make a living . After he set up his own shop, he could then call himself a master of his craft . </P> <P> This system of a stepwise approach to mastery of a craft, which includes the obtainment of a certain amount of education and the learning of skills, has survived in some countries of the world until today . But crafts have undergone deep structural changes during and since the end of the Industrial Revolution . The mass production of goods by large - scale industry has limited crafts to market segments in which industry's modes of functioning or its mass - produced goods would not or cannot satisfy the preferences of potential buyers . Moreover, as an outcome of these changes, craftspeople today increasingly make use of semi-finished components or materials and adapt these to their customers' requirements or demands and, if necessary, to the environments of their customers . Thus, they participate in a certain division of labour between industry and craft . </P>

What is the meaning of art and craft