In between idea and making...

...is design, and whether it's a simple box or a complex furniture piece, it has to happen.

Furniture design, gift design, design for sacred space, display design... That is what is on my mind this week. It's not that I dislike the discipline of getting ideas out of my head and onto the design table. It's just that it's...well...discipline.

I always have ideas brewing. I spend a minimum of 10 hours behind the wheel of my truck every week. In addition to being careful on Orlando-area roads (if you live here, you know what I'm talking about), it's a great time to think about what will be added to the 'buy' page of the website.

But the best ideas come in another way.

It's the "we" thing that I write and talk about so often. .

Yesterday I was talking with some pretty creative people as we were brainstorming a project together. In addition to me, there was a scenic artist, a fabric artist, an artist who creates wildly small miniatures, an architect, and a visionary guy who knows how to bring like (and unlike) minded people together. When I have the chance to just talk with fantastically talented people like this, it gets the ideas flying...and those ideas keep coming even after the discussion is over.

Quite honestly, my head is a little jam-packed with ideas today, and I can't wait to get started building/making in the shop. But there is a big first step before I cut into a beautiful piece of figured maple and that's what I am focusing on this week.

Design -- Actually drawing to make sure I know what I'm doing and that whatever I intend to build is going to hold up as both a beautiful piece and as a structure.

I'm focusing on some furniture pieces. I'll be designing some companions to the mid-century 3-tier bookcase to begin filling out the Mikelis line; creating the first designs in a line of pectoral crosses for clergy and lay leaders, and making some final decisions on wood offerings for the stacking keepsake boxes. I do some of my best thinking when I take out the old drawing board, T-Square and triangle...tools that my 7th grade Industrial Arts teacher introduced me to. Old school. It's slower and maybe not as exact, but it really helps me think through design and solve problems before I cut into that precious wood.

Do you have an idea in mind for something beautiful and hand-made? Jump over to my contact page. Let's talk about your ideas. We don't have to build anything yet. The really good stuff comes with time, discussion, a whole lot of patience...and of course some thoughtful design.