Comments on: Are You Really Designing or Just Being a Big Fat Copycat?

By: Adam

Adam — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 21:40:13 +0000

Great to hear from you, Nigel. I really appreciate your comments.

It’s amazing how much you can visualize from keeping a picture file and a sketchbook. Hey, there’s no reason to hide that sketchbook. It’s a tool to get feedback from others and receive design help as well.

Keep it up and I hope you keep us all updated on your journey.

By: Nigel Whitton

Nigel Whitton — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 08:39:12 +0000

Hi from across the seas.
I have been saving pictures to a file and then building on them in my sketch book for at least 18 months but have keep this fact quiet as I was a bit afraid about what people would say. The pictures that I have built on have taken me in new direction and often a picture of chair as turned in to cabinet or a table then back to a chair that has in no way looks like it can from the original.
Your site is great and I would love to share my journey in woodworking and were it as taken me.

Keep it up

Nigel

By: Video Comments, Collaborations, and Surfing?…

Video Comments, Collaborations, and Surfing?… — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 17:05:43 +0000

[...] age of internet woodworking is a lack of real time critique and support. (check out the comments here)Enter Google Wave. A real time platform for collaboration from the folks at Google. It’s still [...]

By: Adam

Adam — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 16:03:20 +0000

That’s a very good point. Don’t show up to comment without providing the most value that you can. Have something constructive to add to the discussion. Great observation about shifting the blog from simply a publication to a discussion. I’m glad you get that.

Thanks for commenting…I mean discussing.

By: Adam

Adam — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 16:01:57 +0000

You certainly have a good point there. Some do not believe they posses any creativity or maybe it’s ‘enough’ creativity to stretch their design legs in woodworking. Tapping in to that creativity is something that can seem unnatural to anyone who hasn’t attempted it on a real and personal level before. Not knowing how to even begin seems to be an issue that keeps coming up as well.

Thanks for the comments.

By: Adam

Adam — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 16:01:40 +0000

I think you just wrote another section of this post with your comments! Seriously man, very insightful. You’re right, sharing the designs first can really bring the piece to fruition in greater ways. I had overlooked that while writing. I’m very grateful you mentioned it.

Always great to have you here, and yes we do need to connect again.

By: George Walker

George Walker — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 18:43:00 +0000

Enjoyed your post and have a couple of comments to toss out. The craft of woodworking itself can be technically very demanding and my thought is that many woodworkers do not feel comfortable delving into design until they have mastered a basic skill set. I’m sure in the traditional apprenticeship setting, flexing the design wings didn’t occure until the young blood cut armies of dovetails, and planed oceans of timber. In my own case I’ve seen a progression from following plans, to tweeking plans, to combining two or three pieces, to building from scratch, to now actually building without rulers or tape measure. Didn’t get there overnight, a late bloomer I guess. I’d comment also that there can be great value in doing serious reproduction work. I know many look down their noses at reproductions as being totally un-original. Somehow we don’t often say that when an orchestra performs a wonderful rendition of a classic. Or forget that our creative legacy in painting and sculpture used to depend on copying the works of masters in order to learn light shadow etc. I am interested in the concept of using the web to get feedback on work. I’m fairly certain that many of the great masterworks of early american design were the result of many small tweeks and changes, helped along by a large community of artisans with a solid grasp of design. That’s tough to find if you are outside of a school setting.

George Walker

By: Torch02

Torch02 — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 22:19:21 +0000

In my short time blogging about my short time woodworking, I’ve struggled with how to be more interactive with other woodworking bloggers other woodworkers online. I even went through an exercise of attempting to comment on every single post of the woodworking blogs I followed for a month.

The best method I’ve found for interacting online with other woodworkers is to ask questions. While I often appreciate designs and techniques that others share, I make a concerted effort to not just comment “Wow, I like that” but rather ask about a detail about the design/technique – “What if you put X there?” or “Why did you approach it X way instead of Y way?” Making that kind of effort can shift blogging from a publication platform into an interactive platform.

I know that I’ve benefitted from reading and interacting on a couple of blogs. In a couple of instances, comments by the blog owner have suggested the feeling was mutual. Digital cameras, scanners, and tools like SketchUp all enable the kind of interaction and feedback you’re talking about. We, as “online” woodworkers, just need to be dilligent to use the tools that are available to us to these ends.

By: Dale / Timberwerks Studio

Dale / Timberwerks Studio — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 19:22:47 +0000

Great post Adam. As you know my work is influenced by George Nakashima, I’m a live edge addict. Anyway I try to expand from what I am influenced by and create my own design. I think many are hesitant to trust in their abilities and simply recreate what they see figuring it will be an automatic success. Now, is this because of fear for exploring new design or lack of time and creativity? Many woodworkers are talented but lack creativity, or so they think. Truth is, we are all creative but we just need to find a way to tap into that creativity. This may be where the issue of time comes in.

Interesting topic. It would be great to hear from someone who builds only from plans. Is this for comfort of knowing the outcome or to get you directly to working on the project?

By: Peter Cales

Peter Cales — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 17:33:53 +0000

This is a great post, Adam. I run across this kind of mindset pretty regularly. In some ways, I think this related to our previous conversations about whether or not there are distinctions among artists, craftsmen, designers, etc. I think some people just really like the craft aspect of woodworking. They are content – or inspired – to make a perfect joint. And the best expression they know of this is to make a reproduction of a Stickley table, and they don’t have any interest in creating their own designs. I suppose I don’t see anything wrong with this, though I obviously subscribe more to the idea of your post to push things further.

The other thing I would add is that, as someone such as yourself, I don’t have the luxury of classroom-based critiques, share your drawings with friends, family members, other designers and artists, etc., even before you physically make something. Asking for perspectives from people who do things a lot different than you, or even have a different style than you, can really strengthen your own work, and open you up to ideas you weren’t aware of yet.

Now, I need to get you on the phone to talk about a couple design issues, or maybe I should just post them here…?

Keep up the good work!