Monday 8 October 2012

Out of the box.

I woke this morning feeling a million times better. I had the kids on the bus early and decided to go for a bike ride in the beautiful sunshine. With RN in my ears and the sun on my shoulders I was off. I was feeling some tightness in my lower back after the first 2.5km, at the halfway point of my ride, I have the option of stopping or doing another 2.5. My lower back was telling me to stop, but my head and heart made me keep going. I walked gently up a massive hill, then continued on my ride. By the end of it, I actually felt much better and my back/hip had loosened up.

I have a session with my little workout group and our PT this afternoon, which I'm really looking forward to now. I'm feeling more energised than I have in weeks and feeling positive and ready to move forward toward my goals.

I'm even heading into the workshop today. I have been uninspired recently when it comes to my work. It's been quite a while since I've been in the workshop, I've kept all my study to design theory lately, and working on assignment based design work. My pain has had me unable to do heavy work for such a long time, but I'm feeling much stronger, and venturing into the workshop is not intimidating at the moment.

I have also been seriously questioned my role as a local designer.  Our local market is flooded with people whose idea of 'design' is to paint it white and knock it back. Most of these items have no design flair and are about 4 years behind trend at the exhibitions, and 2-3 years behind the retailers in Melbourne. These backyard hobbyists are swooping over the local buy-swap-sell sites and freecycle sites, fighting over furniture, paying nothing, painting it white and charging ten times what they paid - and people lapping it up.

I am wondering how the local designers, who have spent years studying, learning to create fine furniture with amazing joinery techniques and original designs, using amazing materials are able to compete with some of these back yarders... people in the area that I live aren't prepared to pay for quality design - so where does that leave me? Do I join the back yard mob, do I continue with trying to produce high quality furniture with innovative design - in an area that is full of designers (and a small population who can't service us all) or do I design for myself, create what I love and focus my energy into the mountain of jobs that could be done around the farm/house.

I think I'm set on the latter. I've no desire to compete with the backyarder's and the market is flooded by the hundreds of other graduates of our wonderful design course - many who are amazing makers and designers that produce high quality furniture. It is unfortunate the amount of highly talented designers who are working in other fields because it's so hard to make a living in this area in the field of furniture.  I will design for myself, family and friends, and save my crazy design ideas for a hobby, that will give me time to focus on cleaning up the farm, planting veggies, preserving, cooking and working on my hobby from my home workshop. The three and a half years that I have studied design won't be wasted on me, because I love design, and I always will. My years of study have opened my eyes to a world that never existed to me before, and with everything I make, and everything I upcycle, I will use the skills I've learned. I will always have a love for design in my life, but I need to move forward, as I am with all other areas of my life.

Today however I will work. I am working on a bookshelf to house a library that has been stuck in a box for a long time, desperate to get out. I'm thinking I'm a bit like my books, I've been trapped inside a box, unwilling and unable to do what I want to do, do what I love - because I had no energy. I'm so glad that about 2 months ago, I had the box open and I've gotten out. I'm glad I've found the energy to want to get back into the workshop, glad that I'm able to take time for my hobby, and glad that I'll be working on my bookshelf, that has been left abandoned for months! Loving the energy I have today!

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