Throughout this project, I have learned something quite powerful about myself, and I wonder if others, particularly you, might be just like me. I have found that in the middle of a project, I need time to pause and re-evaluate where I am and what I am doing.
Although I have moved forward in little ways on the Multi-Purpose Disk Sander over the last couple of weeks, I haven’t progressed as quickly as I did in the first couple of weeks. Does this happen to you when you are working on something or are you a person that can get started and push on through to the end?
As I came to this realization, I began to wonder if I had always been this way, and even more important, is it something I can change going forward? Is it something that I want to change?
The answer to the first question is yes, without question. In 1975, I took apart an oak secretary my mom wanted to have refinished. To be clear, I don’t like refinishing and always prefer to build new, but this particular piece of furniture had been around since long before I was born and was important, so refinishing it was the thing to do. This secretary now has a place in my home and I am sure will always have a place in the home of some member of my family. But after taking the piece apart and stripping the finish, I took about 25 years to finish the work. I moved the disassembled secretary no less than six times. Incredibly enough, when I put it back together, I still had all of the pieces. This is an extreme example of a very common behavior for me.
Sara has always referred to me as a 90-95% contractor. When I get just about to the end of a project, I tend to take my eye off the ball and focus somewhere else, leaving the current project to languish. I did this with basement remodels and re-painting projects alike. Sometimes I think that I found a reason for the family to move so I would have to “push” to get the last of the projects complete. Sara had to watch an armoire sit in the shop for 6 months or more before I completed it. It is a lifetime way of doing things for me.
But why? I believe I finally understand my process now. This project has let me look a carefully at and really think about why I do things: I stop so I can let things bounce around in my head. I make sure how I will finish a project and ensure I am not missing anything. The secretary had some carving on its front that I wasn't certain how to handle. When I finally decided on the right way to deal with it, I moved on and finished. In the current piece, there are a lot of intricacies that have to work together. I have taken some time to think through how all of these will work together, and how I will service them going forward. The sander will be a better made piece because of the time I've taken to process on the entirety of the project.
So, through the process of building a multi-purpose disc sander, I have discovered there really is “method to my madness” and that I need time to make sure everything will go together as perfectly as possible. It is part of my creative process. Now that I understand it, I will not worry when it happens. I will not feel that I am lazy or do not have the ability to finish things. I will know that I am taking time to consider the project and its final outcome, in order to make it as perfect as possible. It may take a little longer, but it is time well spent.
What about you? Have you thought about your creative process? Many times we do things because they are the right thing to do without really knowing why. Now I know why I pause in the middle of many projects. I know this will help me as I continue to do more and more projects for lots of different folks.
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