I have been wanting to re-focus my blogging, and return to writing only about my woodworking. I’ve set up a wiki, and installed a new instance of WordPress, and tried all sorts of technical things, but just don’t seem to be able to get the flow of the thing, and actually get any writing done. So I’m back here, and shall endevour to re-focus this blog back to its beginnings: By Heart and Hand.
That’s what I called the thing when I first started it (when I was at art school in Canberra in 2003) and the phrase was meant to represent something about how I work wood by hand (I mean, using only hand tools), and that the processes involved are only perfected through learning them “off by heart” — in that one’s body must learn how to do these things, one’s heart and soul.
And that’s what I want to get back to doing, and to writing about. I’ve got my nice little workshop up and running now (and have turned out a few little pieces, mainly for Christmas presents and so I can’t yet post anything about them here, lest some recipient reads this; not that they are likely to), and I just need to get back into the swing of working the wood and having the time to stop — mid mallet-swing if need be — and write about what I’m doing.
It’s not all about hacking away at bits of wood and trying to make them fit together, you see. It’s actually far more about one’s attitude and the feel of calm beauty that decends (from the heavens?) when the sweet saw is sawing smoothly and swiftly. As it were. More of that later, from the dust of the bench.
[Keywords: Blogging, wordpress, workshop, Writing] [3 comments] [Permanent link]
I found this blog when trying to google for a wordpress slideshow.
No offense, but this has to be the ugliest blog I’ve ever seen. And it’s powered by WordPress? WordPress has a lot of simple but elegant designs. Maybe a woodworking theme? I know there are many people on the web who are “anti design”, but this is taking it a little too far. A plain white page would be even better than this.
[permalink]
Thank you!
No, I mean it: I think I probably do fall into the ‘anti-design’ camp, and my non-design of this site is supposed to reflect that. Taking it too far?! Impossible! (I do, in some slight way, jest here.)
So thank you for noticing, and taking the time to comment—I mean it, I really do appreciate it.
Oh, and also: when web browsers start implementing decent typography (or at the very least hyphenation), I promise I’ll put a bit more effort into my graphic design!
—Sam.
[permalink]
Actually, after reading more of your posts, especially about the part about deciding not to ride in cars anymore, I gained a respect for your insistence upon minimalism and living a simple lifestyle. :Having lived in North America for 90% of my life, but having also lived in Africa, and Central America for short periods of time, I have a profound respect for what it takes to make a decision like that.
My wife and I decided to move with our children to a more relaxed area of North America (Colorado) , which is not as grassroots as Australia, but we do feel closer to nature.
While one person’s decision not to ride in cars will not have much of an impact on the planet, the discussion about it could influence many people across the globe to live lives that are more “conscious”. For tens of thousands of years people have lived a much simpler and balanced lifestyle than they live now. With all of the rushing, people are no better off morally or spiritually, and some would argue worse off.
So yeah, if you installed a simple wordpress theme on your blog and made this journal a little more visually ‘warm’, the thoughts and ideas in these pages may reach an even larger number of people and have a chance to actually have an impact on this Earth.
Just a thought. But at any rate, I think that these types of conversations are what we will need to move the Human race to the next level.
[permalink]