Awesome Design and Existentialism

My Minnesota woodworking journey began with a small shop and more questions than ideas after I closed my organ building workshop back in Wisconsin. Art and structure were to be my primary focus though. That focus began to evolve with the design of a small ladder used for pipe organ tuning in close quarters.

Great results are produced by people who get to work and focus on their goals even when those goals are sometimes difficult to attain. And getting there can seem to be incredibly time consuming.

Something about the project I recently completed told me that I finally accomplished what I set out to with regard to art and structure. I feel confident in my ability to take my work to new levels now having a design architecture and the means to accomplish that architecture in place. The path was never completely clear though with an approach that often was way too go-it-alone most of the time. The photo above reminds me of that. I took it with a hand-me-down digital camera I had just obtained. The result seemed lonely and existential, probably enhanced by the way the light streams in on the cabinet doors.

I built the cabinet in the photograph during my early experience in woodworking to house kitchen plates and utensils. Utensils got their own drawer, and a separate section even houses glassware. The unique design of the cabinet with its multiple compartments makes it a favorite among friends.

I no longer feel that my workshop has to be the all consuming entity. I can find new roads with my work now. I feel like the journey is just beginning again.