Conceptual

Hey this is Evan here. My question about my 4 elements project is less about the work itself and more about art in general. It seems to me that in the other classes I have attended have had a very ridgid structure centered around the conceptual aspects of the piece with craft taking a close second while this class seems to be more centered around craft with the conceptual aspects of the piece taking a back seat. My question is is it necissary to have a strong conceptual backing to make good art, and if so how do you take a piece with a weak conceptual backing (like the 4 elementa piece) and make it stronger.