the design process

It’s 17 April, and I’m really excited about my pipeline!

The journey of designing, and the process of making is beginning to settle in - lots of fleeting thoughts on how something should look whilst focusing efforts on the task at hand. That ‘task’ could be stood at the drill-press, sanding, oiling or waxing a finished piece. I often find I’m asking myself a myriad of questions, and all too often, answering those as if it were a board-room meeting!

LAMPS! never in a million years did I think they’d enter my design & build pipeline

• How is this going? What workflow improvements are to be made?!

• That bench… what’s happening with those legs? Will they add to the overall piece or somehow become a distraction?

• LAMPS - whoever thought I’d be designing lamps, and loving the process? Maybe it’s all the little bits that I’m attracted to

However, the most important question is: Am I enjoying this?

Sometimes yes. Sometimes no - and it’s the NO that I need to be the most honest about. There’s ZERO point in fearing NO. No saves us time, saves us money, sanity, energy, it also helps us to learn a thing or 2 about ourselves, or the process (refer to the early question about improving the workflow).

In my previous life, I constantly encourage those around to me Always Be Challenging - challenge the status quo, challenge the process, challenge the outcome. As a budding designer & maker (dare I call myself that?) it’s important to continue encouraging Always Be Challenging!

I’ve begun to learn what I don’t want to do, and I’ve begun learning where my energy is best spent!

More on this to come… of course as the pipeline develops it will become immediately clear where I’m headed.