...whatever?
I've been plenty busy in the shop this month. Not too busy to write, but busy.
I spent the past month and some watching the virtual world go by. Safety week came and went. Chris Schwartz is building campaign furniture, which I've been interested in for years. (Just not interested enough to buy the $500 coffee table book.) And a stink was raised over FWW daring to suggest that bloggers were scum who should require a stamp of approval.
I agree with FWW. Information overload on the web continues, and anyone with a web cam or an iPhone can document their path to novice-dom with ease, and upload it instantly. And so much of it is redundant. I've read entries defending the online woodworking community, and some of them make valid points about crowd-sourcing and so on, and that's nice. But so much of it is exhaustive coverage of old ground that it kills me. I agree that there should be a registry of recommended bloggers or podcasters, because the Internet is only a useful tool if you have a way to discriminate, and weed out the useless or pointless crap.
I think it's ironic that FWW would be the ones to try to sound the call for Quality Control of some sort, given that their own publication isn't what it used to be, and that it's becoming redundant, too.
Meanwhile, I still wasn't writing. At some point in April I hit a wall, and it felt like the only reason I was writing was to maintain a presence in a community that I didn't feel connected to anymore. And I'd be damned if I was going to add more virtual drool to the puddle.
I like to read about techniques and projects that are above and beyond what I know, which is why I like the OLD FWW issues. I like this sort of content, because I believe that you have to get out of your comfort zone to get better. Practicing the same novice skill set ad nauseum will only make you a really well-practiced novice. And I have no interest in that.
I'll be writing again soon, but I'm going to start making a point to seek out more interesting objects and techniques to talk about, predicated on the notion that you have a bench, and a box full of basic tools and skills to work with. I'm sure that means I'll be writing less often than twice per week, but hopefully the results will justify the extra time.
Only you can do some of that repair work.
1 hour ago
3 comments:
Rise to the challenge you've now set yourself Sir James, I shall eagerly await your forthcoming schedule.
Yeah, I had to stop and think twice before publishing that one.
But at a certain point, if you can't find what you want in the world, you have to make it for yourself.
Thanks for that James. If you have nothing to say, say nothing. More should heed this advice. I've been a writer for a long time and I hesitate to add to the drool without good cause. I like your site and blog.
Brian in Ottawa
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