Vocatic – An attraction based on one’s craft or professional craft

Vocatic relationship – A relationship between a craft teacher and student

I have spent over two decades perfecting my craft, which is a blend of product design, development, and service. Over years, I have developed my own style, and can quickly and efficiently organize large distributed teams to to accomplish complicated tasks. I pay careful attention to every detail of my work, from the technical documentation used to train new team members, to the marketing messages sent out to our prospects and clients. I want to be part of the entire process, from beginning-to-end.

However, nothing is more satisfying to me than finding and training someone who reflects my values back to me. When I find a new talent who reacts with the same passion and diligence that I do to the job before them, I am aroused, in a way. In my time building and running a company, I have found many such people, and I have always felt a distinct attraction to them.

There are different types of attraction: romantic, aesthetic, physical, emotional, and intellectual. I have had all of these, but one is missing: vocatic attraction, derived from “vocation”. Vocatic attraction is that feeling I have when I encounter someone who shares my professional values and aptitudes, and is capable of producing craft at a level of excellence I can appreciate.

It is admiration, yes, but vocatic attraction is deeper: it draws out a nurturing tendency. Like a coach, I want to make them better. And in pursuing a vocatic relationship with a receptive young student, I invest into them in a way that goes beyond obligation and crosses into other dimensions. It is a true relationship in all sense of the word, but centered upon love of craft.

…