Methods vs. Products

I've been reading Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance, and was delighted to read this truism about welders:

I have heard that there are two kinds of welders: production welders, who don't like tricky setups and enjoy doing the same thing over and over again, and maintenance welders, who hate it when they have to do the same job twice ...

In the knitting community, this is a very common dichotomy, referred to as process vs. product. Stereotypically, process knitters are interested in new or challenging techniques, or uncommon ways of knitting common items. On the other hand, product knitters are interested in the finished item itself, no matter how boring it is or how many other times they've knit it.

Of course, there are shades of grey. Among popular bloggers, Wendy considers herself to be a process knitter, and admits that her knits just sort of pile up in the closet! However, she has no problem kitting 45 different pairs of socks last year! On the other hand, The Yarn Harlot knits to survive long Canadian winters, but she'll also try to mix up wearable items with complicated or innovative techniques. But still, it seems like most knitters identify with one side or the other.

Is this common in other production-based jobs or crafts? Is there a similar dichotomy between decoy-duck carvers? Decoupage enthusiasts? Bookbinders? I'm dying to find out.

(Book cover photo courtesy of sharpwits)