A Woodworker's Notes on Creativity

Creating handmade artistic wooden boxes: Don't Wait to Be Inspired

When I began writing many years ago, I came upon an interview with a painter. The question posed to her was, “Do you paint when you are inspired?” Her response was, “No, I do not wait to be inspired. I sit down to work and then the inspiration comes.”

Ideas

Ideas for creating handmade artistic wooden boxes come to me while

admiring the skill and craftsmanship of the myriad of woodworkers

represented online, woodworking magazines, instagram, pinterest, and local galleries. The most challenging aspect for me is to figure out how a particular piece of furniture is constructed: what joinery did they use? how did they make that curve?, etc. Often, I visualize the details of a piece I am planning to build, then make some sketches, and proceed to a three-dimensional drawing to get a feel for dimensions.

Be Original

As in literature, a woodworker does not want to plagiarize. It’s encouraged to develop one’s own style and create his/her own design. I find it less problematic to develop my technical and design skill by working on expanding my previous work, rather that to tackle a project someone else has made.