I've just had a week off, a week at home, partly due to COVID-19 and partly because travel is pretty difficult for me anyway! So I spent a lot of the week in the woodshop, pottering and carving.
So, what do I mean by a journey by spoon? I realise I'm very task oriented, I have an image, a goal, the end result and I'm driven to get there and finish what I'm doing. Finish the task at work, finish the particular craft piece I'm working on, be it painting, carving, beading etc, but what I have realised is that the process for me, is usually just a means to an end. There was a particular moment whilst carving this spoon that I had this realisation: Brain: Carving spoons is cool, reckon you can make one with rings? Me: I think I can, I'll give it a go! Brain: How about seven rings, that seems like a good number? Me: Yeah, yeah, why not, I like the idea of seven rings. Carving commences... Me: Two rings, two rings definitely seems like a good number. To explain, I have a bad shoulder and a spinal defect, both of which cause me a lot of pain, so I have to adapt to what my body can cope with, and seven rings was going to be decidedly taxing. The seven rings became two and, as I wanted some interest, I made the spoon handle wavy instead of straight, which made me think of the two little rings taking a journey down a wavy path. This thought was subsequently followed by the lightbulb moment where I realised that I was rushing through what I was doing to get to my end product, instead of appreciating the process of carving the wood, a peaceful, natural material, and also the process that had taken place in my head, adapting my design as I went along. I have more ideas and lots more pieces of wood, but I'm definitely going to try to be more mindful in my approach and enjoy the creative journey of what I'm making, rather than just enjoying that I've made it. Think my shoulder and back will probably appreciate it too!!
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AuthorA pair of makers who like a bit of a challenge. Archives
September 2021
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