The term artisan always makes me think of pizza. How about referring to ourselves as smiths instead? Imagine upon being asked what do you do for a living and responding that you're a codesmith!
ar·ti·san noun: artisan; plural noun: artisans a worker in a skilled trade, especially one that involves making things by hand. synonyms: craftsman, craftswoman, craftsperson; skilled worker, technician; smith, wright, journeyman; archaicartificer "artisans from around North America will demonstrate their crafts"
smith noun: smith; plural noun: smiths 1. a worker in metal. short for blacksmith.
It seems artisan is more appropriate.
It feels like we are borrowing titles from other professions in effort to legitimize our profession. (or inventing new ones)
Software "Engineer"
Software "Architect"
* "Designer"
Solutions *
Distinguished *
Software "Evangelist"
"Technologists"
* Specialist
“Engineer” and “architect” are much more nuanced and hard to distinguish.
Developers tend to be much more creative than that.
It also emphasizes the fact that coding is an iterative process. Sometimes you have to strip the whole thing down, make your codebase malleable again, and pound away to refashion it a different way.
"Thetis of the silver feet came to the house of Hephaistos, imperishable, starry, and shining among the immortals, built in bronze for himself by the god of the dragging footsteps. She found him sweating as he turned here and there to his bellows busily, since he was working on twenty tripods which were to stand against the wall of his strong-founded dwelling. And he had set golden wheels underneath the base of each one so that of their own motion they could wheel into the immortal gathering, and return to his house: a wonder to look at. These were so far finished, but the elaborate ear handles were not yet on. He was forging these, and beating the chains out."
- The Iliad
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hephaestus
Probably we should choose Hephaestans over Vulcans, to avoid confusion.