Tuesday, July 12, 2016

My Journey As A Creative Designer - Woodworking and Beyond #1744: Routines

Routines. 



We need them for order, guidance and pacing. They help us set and keep goals and they keep us organized and productive.  Some people don’t like routines, but I am one who embraces them completely. Perhaps that is from being around cats all of my life, as they are big fans of routines, as are many animals. 



The past several weeks have been anything but “routine” for me. From the time we first saw our new home early in March, I have been a bit out of step. We knew as soon as we saw the house that we would want to rent it long term, and from that point on began the planning and anticipation and all that comes with the prospect of being in a new (and much larger) environment. Also, from that point on our regular routine went out the window. Little by little the focus shifted from our work to the planning of our new place. In the beginning it was more an afterthought – taking up those last few moments of the day to think things through and place orders for new equipment and furniture and storage pieces. But as the time for moving came closer, the time for thinking about the move and the new place grew, and work was pushed further into the background until it was merely an afterthought that was attended to only when necessary. I suppose it is just part of the process. 



The move itself went smoothly. The two things that were important to time well – the power and the internet change over  - occurred without a hitch. Since we only moved about a kilometer down the road from where we were, it was easy to transport things little by little, using our small cars and making several trips. There was only one night where we needed a truck, and our friend Jason helped out and made several trips bringing the large pieces. It all went as planned.  



The wood supplies and craft supplies required a bit of sorting. Being in a small place meant that everything was spread out into other places. We had what we used every day in our little apartment. The less frequently used supplies and decorations were in the basement of our apartment house. The least used things were at Keith’s mom’s basement. While all this worked OK for us over the years, it was great to be able to integrate everything in one central place, and for me anyway it required a total reorganization and labeling of supplies, books and materials. That took several days, but now that it is done, I can see everything that I own at a glance. No more duplicate purchasing or hunting for things that I knew I already had. Everything is neatly labeled and in boxes, either already in place or ready to be placed in the storage furniture that Keith and I are having made for us (which should be arriving any day now.) There are neat piles of small boxes in the places where these pieces will reside – in my work room, studio and dining area. I promise to give tours later on. 



Keith is working on his own workshop in the basement as well. The old house here has a cement floor in the basement with stone walls. He spent most of last week cleaning, power washing and painting the floor in anticipation for building his own place to work. It is exciting and will be rewarding when done. 



My area is upstairs in what I will call the “little shop”.  I have already broken it in with scrolling a few larger orders that I have. I still was sitting on the floor though, as I had done at our apartment, as we were awaiting the use of our friends’ truck to bring over the rest of the furniture to make the shop complete.  Last night, they brought it over:



A wonderful 6 foot workbench and two matching cabinets! :D  



We got these at Home Depot for a reasonable price.  I love their “Husky” brand, as we purchased their small tool box several years ago and it is wonderful.



The table has a nice, solid wood top and lots of room to work:



The cabinets will hold a lot of pre-cut wood pieces which will be ready to ship when someone orders:



They will complete the work place and really make it functional. 



Today I will be (once again) assembling furniture. Hopefully then I will be able to get some more cutting done. I am working on an order and I would like to finish it by the end of the week. 



Last night I was able to finally paint. I hadn’t done that in about a month. I am working on my “Day 6” ornaments from Lynne Andrews’ 12 Days of Christmas and I broke in my new studio space:



Ok – I am showing off a little. I just love my new place here and I want to share.  After all the time, thought and hard work we put into making it nice, it is good to finally get into a ‘normal’ routine and actually accomplish some work! Can you blame me?



While things are still a 'work in progress’, I am finding comfort in falling back into some kind of pattern for work again. Even though I have been more tired than I have in a long time lately, My energy has been directed to moving, not to creating and working. It is time to come back. 



I hope you all enjoy seeing our work place and home come together. I receive lots of notes from others who say they are inspired by our work areas, and I like to see others’ studios and shops myself. Each of us has their own personal needs and wants when it comes to creating and I think that sharing with each other is something that is a positive thing. It is all very exciting. 



With that said, I will get to it. There is furniture to be built and projects to be made. Time to get into a good routine again. 



Have a wonderful Tuesday! 



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