Note: This is a draft

If you were to visit my house, then you would find that I have not bought much furniture in over five years beyond the bed that you are not allowed in. Many years ago, I decided that if I was going to buy furniture that it would be the end game furniture that I would have until I died. It seems to be a fairly cost efficient model. Imagine if you played a game, and you just saved up all your coins to buy the armor needed to beat the end boss. It makes sense in a crazy kind of way.

Then, I then decided that I would make all my furniture. This primarily came from the frustration of finding the perfect desk because people have very low expectations for what constitutes a good desk.

I remember many moons ago that I wanted a nice dining room table, and I remember looking at my options an IKEA. Everything there made my heart sad and my soul empty. I felt like I wouldn't be living my life at all, and I would be picking my life out of a catalog in a very Fight Club kind of way.

I then visited Urban Hardwoods and Northwest Woodworkers Gallery, and my heart sang. The prices, however, made my brain break. I imagined myself going through the process of buying a nice dining room table, and it didn't feel right. It wasn't me living my life, but aligning my life with another's life. It also gave me panic because I remember my mom yelling at me for even touching the dining room table I grew up with it. It was fairly nice, but it was to be seen and not used until company came over. I am ever the utilitarian.

When I rented a house on the island, I invested in some tools and I started making stuff. I rediscovered the joy of being a beginner, and I reconnected with what I will call the Way of the Builder.

So, what is the Way of the Builder? I think the Way of the Builder is when you focus your energies primarily into building without thinking of secondary conseqeuences. Secondary consequences are answers to questions like “Will it sell?“, “Will it make me famous?“, “Will people understand it?“, “Will it get me laid?“, etc…

These and similar questions are unimportant. You may argue that they are important, and in the right context they are extremely important. The context I am talking about is developing oneself as a creator. The Way of the {Artist, Builder, Craftsman, Maker} is the connection between the creative mind and a medium, and in my case it is the connection between my mind and the wood.