Sunday, February 17, 2013

creativity in woodwork

  Those of you of a certain age will remember Monty Python's Flying Circus and the various movies made by that odd ball cast.

    Over time those fellows have continued to create and perform in various formats, except for Graham Chapman who has passed away.  It is worth noting that as well as being creative they are also able to discuss their work and methods and share that information with other people. 
  
   The video I have attached has little to do with woodworking, or....maybe it has a whole bunch to do with woodworking.  In the video John Cleese gives a 36 minute lecture (talk) on creativity, not what it is but, how to enable creative thinking. He is clear, articulate and I believe hits the nail squarely on the head (so there's some wood working stuff).

   I found the talk he gave  affirming, especially the part where he talks about the need for time to ponder.  When taking on a new woodworking project I like to spend as much time thinking about what I hope to achieve and how I plan to get there as I possibly can.  Sometimes creativity is a design issue, just a often it is a problem solving issue.  When I work in my shop I am regularly confronted with shortcomings in my working methods, or use of space and what I need is a creative solution to a given problem.  For example, my work surface (work bench) is on wheels, it weights a tonne and has locking casters but, with effort can be pushed out of the way  or into better light depending on the project at hand.  A rolling workbench is atypical in a shop, but....mine works.

    Mr. Cleese makes it clear, there is a time for decisive action, but use all the time you can leading up to that decision making moment to explore and consider all options. 

   To review, these are the 5 conditions needed to promote creativity:

   1. space
   2. time
   3. time
   4. confidence
   5. humour

     I hope that you take the time to watch the video and to think about being creative in your workshop.


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