tables and time

{on not forgetting how it all started}

Many of us are probably feeling a bit of nostalgia right about now, with all these holidays full of memories and whatnot; Family recipes, pulling out the old ornaments, the yearly hustling of furniture to try and squeeze a pine tree into your house. For me, I felt nostalgic when I built this table. This little dining room table is a near twin of one I once built a long, long time ago in an apartment far, far away. Those of you who have been with me for a while now may remember {though I don't assume you would remember!} that there was once a table quite similar in pattern and size alike, that was, in essence, the beginning -- the first decent-sized commission I ever got. Hot damn. This meant that there was actually a person out there who found my work and liked it enough to want it. Other than my mother. And I remember feeling like "wow, is this a thing? People give you money to build things for them?". Whereas before I was pretty sure that you just built things and they would sit in your own apartment taking up space and collecting dust. And nobody needs three coffee tables laying around. Unless you have three living rooms. Yeah, it was a good day the day I got this commission.

What has changed since then? A lot. Sometimes I forget that I started out building things in the middle of my living room. Sometimes I forget that I couldn't cut a single piece of wood without getting sawdust on my couch. Sometimes I forget that I ran power tools six feet away from our dining room table and only had eighty square feet of total space to move. Most of the time, I forget that there was once a time when I didn't own a chop saw. *gasp!*

Yes. We forget things. And it's good to remember them. With this new year that approaches it's the perfect time to remember where you came from, where it started, and to appreciate where you are now -- wherever that may be.

Happy holidays! And what are your plans people? We are celebrating with our new-found tradition of Quitsmas, where we don't go anywhere or do anything in particular except a whole lotta nothin'. Which is exactly what I need right about now.

 
Merry Quitsmas!