Lessons Learned
After roughly three months, my classmates and I have officially finished the initial “set” portion of the curriculum at Waters & Acland, and we’re each kicking off our first fully self-designed and self-made pieces. From now until the end of the program, I’ll have full creative control of my process and the opportunity to experiment with whichever techniques I want to incorporate into my own designs. For my first project, I’ve redesigned the first thing I ever built from scratch - a walnut nightstand that my dad and I cobbled together over 5 years ago.
As I start this next chapter, I wanted to share a few overarching lessons that I’ve learned over the past few months. To the experienced furniture maker (or really any creative type), these takeaways will probably come across as fairly elementary. As for me, I’ve learned so many new things every single day since getting here, so distilling them down to a single list was a difficult exercise in and of itself. Oh, I didn’t include the lessons I’ve learned about British slang, driving norms, local culinary delicacies, etc.; you’ll have to reach out directly if you want any of those.
Measure as many times as necessary. There’s an old saying that goes, “measure twice, cut once.” I’ll admit, though, that sometimes I need to measure more than twice before I really feel comfortable before moving forward. Sometimes, moving efficiently (note that I’m not saying “quickly” here) only requires a single measurement. I’ve even learned through experience that excessive measurement-taking won’t work if you’re about to chop into the wrong end of a board. Ultimately, fine furniture making requires a balance of precision, speed, and control.
Keeping an organized workspace may feel like a chore at first, but it’s worth the time investment. I’ve found that when I make it a point to keep my tools in order and readily within arm’s reach, it’s so much easier to progress on a project. I can’t say that remembering to hang up my straightedges between uses is my favorite thing, but Future Me always appreciates it when I don’t have to spend extra time searching for them later on.
Speaking of tools, a little routine maintenance goes a long way. Keeping my chisels and plane blades sharp, vises oiled, and mechanical pencils full of lead is what allows me to get into a flow when I’m working and direct my focus onto things I really want to invest time into.
Like with any artistic endeavor, you need to seek out other art in order to further develop your own - “good artists copy, great artists steal,” or something like that. In all seriousness, seeing great creative works is one of the best ways to expand what you think is artistic and push your understanding of what is creatively possible. I should note here that seeking out art does not equate to liking everything you see. Recently I’ve been flipping through Bespoke: Source Book of Furniture Designer Makers by Betty Norbury and I’ll be the first to admit that many of the featured pieces are quite unappealing to me. For every design that really stands out to me, there are a hundred designs that I personally wouldn’t want in my own home. But that’s the beauty of exploration; learning what you don’t like is just as valuable as discovering what you do enjoy.
Elaborating a bit more on the above, seeking out works from other creatives can quickly lead to comparison and even jealousy - don’t fall into this trap. Every full-time or aspiring furniture designer is at a different point in their career and has different tastes and ambitions. We all have unique prowesses and shortcomings, as well. Pursuing this as a career 180 has made me quick to compare my abilities to those of designers who have been creating for years. I commonly have to remind myself that I’ve only just begun this journey and that I’m only holding myself back if I use others’ successes as my own barometer.
Here’s to one semester completed, and two more to go.