Its a never-ending cycle. I sit there with a piece of paper and a pen, and then ideas start to formulate in 3D. Then for days or weeks I'll be running through the design plan over and over again. There is much to ponder, whether its feasible, whether my current tools can support it, whether it will be able to withstand abuse, and what kind of problems that I may face while I'm doing it, and most important of all, is it ergonomically correct. At the end of the day, the finalized draft will become something that has been simplified, but not because it is easier, but because it is more efficient.
It is never easy to work with heavy duty logs, but just make sure that everything goes as smoothly as possible, that's my goal. The most disappointing moment is probably when you're doing something and one of the grooves split, or you accidentally cut the wrong area, and realize that that's done, and you have to start all over again. Of course, with this kind of work, fatigue sets in after a couple of hours, and then I start hitting my own fingers with the hammer. Its not fun but hey, at least I know when I ought to stop working.
The final draft, the single most important drawing, denotes what the final outcome should be. This is the work of several weeks of thinking, several months of training and experience, and may seem like there's nothing to it, but to me, its an engineering feat accomplished in my head. Perhaps this is what its about - breaking down various problems until they become a single, coherent answer that still requires laborous work, but once you are done with it, you can marvel at the fact that a conclusion has been reached.
To me, that means a lot more than just assembling furniture from Ikea. Which is the reason why no 2 projects are ever alike. They are solutions to a problem, and everyone is different. As a philosopher once said that the same person can be different at different times of their lives, making 2 of the same project would most definitely mean that the second one will never have the thrill of discovery, anticipation, and triumph as the first.
The search will never end, as curious souls we are constantly asking, constantly searching. This is the essence of life, it has been unchanged for centuries, we shouldn't be resting now.
