![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.rpwoodwork.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/08\/img_0344_edited-3.jpg\" "\\"img_0344_edited-3\\"")
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These thoughts started to gel as I was browsing a craft exhibit of many wonderful pieces. There were also a few that didn\u2019t quite measure up, at least in one man\u2019s opinion. I wondered what, apart from preferences in style,\u00a0<\/strong>had formed my view of an object<\/strong> as a creative success or as falling short.<\/p>\n Further, I supposed these considerations could help me with my work. “I work wood, therefore I am??”<\/em><\/p>\n At the core of creativity<\/strong> is the development of a powerful, compelling, rich idea. By “idea,” I mean more than a whim or an attractive notion. I mean a driving, guiding force<\/strong> with enough energy to result in a creation. I like the word “concept”<\/strong> for this. Without it, a creative effort really doesn\u2019t stand a chance.<\/p>\n When designing a new piece, I wonder why would anyone, including me or a client, really care about this. One way out is to make ostentatious nonsense or to be different for its own sake. No, I want to make refined work that elicits the “quiet joy” of which Krenov wrote.<\/em><\/p>\n Moving ahead, a clear concept produces economy of intent and execution.<\/strong> The artist\/craftsman grasps the essence of what he desires to create, and thus driven, marshals the skills and focus to make it be. To get the job done, the intent must coordinate with workmanship and this must be conscientiously sustained throughout the construction process. In other words, consistency of intent should engender consistency in workmanship so that one reflects the other.<\/strong><\/p>\n OK, nice lines on paper that I\u2019ve got here but I better be able to pull this off. I must have the skill and mental focus to carry this through because no one puts up scale drawings in the living room.<\/em><\/p>\n The result of all of this, we hope, is harmony<\/strong> of all the aspects of the piece – form, wood, color, details, and so forth. This is pleasingly evident when viewing the piece. It is so readily evident that it will likely make the viewer blissfully unaware of the sweat it took to get to the final product.<\/p>\n By contrast, inconsistency and disharmony are readily evident.<\/strong> Think brown shoes with a tuxedo (inconsistent intent) or a suit that would look great except for an awkward fit that can\u2019t be ignored (inconsistent workmanship).<\/p>\n I better be clear about where I\u2019m going with this because I\u2019m going to invest a lot of work in it. More than hope that it will “come out good,” I\u2019ve got to think and believe that it will.<\/em><\/p>\n More than merely theoretical meanderings, this is the stuff<\/strong> that makes a piece produce that good “Ahhh” feeling. It is a formidable job to have a good idea, recognize and develop it, then sustain it as you execute it with consistent workmanship. I am grateful to be able to make things in wood, it is fun, and at times exhilarating, but I do think it is truly difficult<\/strong> to do well.<\/p>\n Stay with it, you can do it. “Unity and variety,” as Maestro Heath used to say.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" These thoughts started to gel as I was browsing a craft exhibit of many wonderful pieces. There were also a few that didn\u2019t quite measure up, at least in one man\u2019s opinion. I wondered what, apart from preferences in style,\u00a0had formed my view of an object as a creative success or as falling short. Further, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1291","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-ideas"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rpwoodwork.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1291","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rpwoodwork.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rpwoodwork.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rpwoodwork.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rpwoodwork.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1291"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/www.rpwoodwork.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1291\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1296,"href":"https:\/\/www.rpwoodwork.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1291\/revisions\/1296"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rpwoodwork.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1291"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rpwoodwork.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1291"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rpwoodwork.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1291"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}