The way I grew up, everyone knew how to cook, sew... carpentry.
I'm interested in the essence of things. If you pare things down, what's left? It's like I'm trying to describe the soul to an alien.
For me, art is make-believe. It's enchantment. It's a fable. I'm enjoying that and playing with it. Of course it's serious, and art is serious, but I'm not going to rarefy it.