Art and the science of chaos
Well dear reader, you've decided to join me for yet another trip into the angst of being born 500 years too late, and only good for the menial job of making boxes.
My week of working to get things done is going ok. Not great. The help I was promised has been sick, seems he's got some stomach problems and they're going to send a camera into him from both ends on Thursday/Friday...At least that's what I think he said. See, he's from Viet Nam, Good guy, hard worker, salt of the earth type. And I might add he speaks English better then I speak Viet Namese. However that does not change the fact that instead of having help for the 5 days I've been given to do this I'll have help for a grand total of 2 1/2. Yeah he was Shanghai'd today to put in some molding and do some sanding on sight by one of the carpenter-crew cheifs...The guy's a real tool, but that has nothing to do with this.
My back has been giving me some grief...seems I had it pretty straightened out...but this week has made it bad again. I can't stand for more then a few minutes till my right leg starts feeling like a hot poker is being driven into my thigh, and the part where it connects to my hips starts resionating with that feeling you get when you start driving 1 5/8" coarse thread sheetrock screws into your flesh, by the handful- and the only relief is to sit down. I'm going to the chiropractor next week, I'm already planning it.
ANYWAY, now that I've given you the preamble....The article is about the art and science of Chaos. My work habbits are an atrosity. Wherever I work there's a mess, a collection of wood scraps, tools, my gum, a phone or two, pieces of used and unused sanpaper, sawdust, papers, notes, calculations, screws, glue bottles, what I'm working on and all the things associated with it. It's spread all over my work area and I'm left working in one small corner. Its an atrocity. Really. I've tried to be good and put things away and clean up and move things around...I move the 1st mess to another surface and then go about bringing part of it back and building a new mess. I can't help feeling that this is how the creative mind works...it sorta just throws up all the facts and has them around for reference while it works in a corner on the result...I'll tell you what, I'd buy a child to clean up the studio every day if I thought that I could get away with it. I've offered cash for teenagers for this purpose...if it's a girl I assure the parent that this and this alone is my intent. If it's a boy, I get this look of " you trying to get this kid to clean up after you is like teaching a fish to sing...He can't even keep up with his own stuff." Alas, I was not raised this way. I was raised by loving parents...One an Italian housewife who took great pride in the fact that her house was always clean with her own filing system ( my mother never threw anything away. When she died we had to get rid of boxes of contact paper scraps, grocery bags that had used grocery bags all carefully folded and stored away for when the world had a grocery bag shortage, and boxes of bows and ribbons , some that were only 2" long) and one German engineer. My work habbits drive my father competely up the wall ("I cannot understand how you can work like this. You spend half your time looking for stuff and the other half trying to remember what you wanted it for" which isn't completely true, I only spend 1/4 of my time trying to remember what I wanted it for the other 3/4 is split between looking for something and trying to find a pencil) I've gotten into the habbit of putting away 2 tools for every new one I need. That helps. But this is the way I am. If I'm painting, carving, drawing, building, designing, cutting a block for prints....My tools and my notes and calculations along with the other flotsum that goes with it spread all over my work surface and me in one little corner busily working away. I only mention this because I caught myself doing it at work. I had to sit while I worked so everything I needed needed to be at arms length or closer...and my arms are only about 2' + long.
My week of working to get things done is going ok. Not great. The help I was promised has been sick, seems he's got some stomach problems and they're going to send a camera into him from both ends on Thursday/Friday...At least that's what I think he said. See, he's from Viet Nam, Good guy, hard worker, salt of the earth type. And I might add he speaks English better then I speak Viet Namese. However that does not change the fact that instead of having help for the 5 days I've been given to do this I'll have help for a grand total of 2 1/2. Yeah he was Shanghai'd today to put in some molding and do some sanding on sight by one of the carpenter-crew cheifs...The guy's a real tool, but that has nothing to do with this.
My back has been giving me some grief...seems I had it pretty straightened out...but this week has made it bad again. I can't stand for more then a few minutes till my right leg starts feeling like a hot poker is being driven into my thigh, and the part where it connects to my hips starts resionating with that feeling you get when you start driving 1 5/8" coarse thread sheetrock screws into your flesh, by the handful- and the only relief is to sit down. I'm going to the chiropractor next week, I'm already planning it.
ANYWAY, now that I've given you the preamble....The article is about the art and science of Chaos. My work habbits are an atrosity. Wherever I work there's a mess, a collection of wood scraps, tools, my gum, a phone or two, pieces of used and unused sanpaper, sawdust, papers, notes, calculations, screws, glue bottles, what I'm working on and all the things associated with it. It's spread all over my work area and I'm left working in one small corner. Its an atrocity. Really. I've tried to be good and put things away and clean up and move things around...I move the 1st mess to another surface and then go about bringing part of it back and building a new mess. I can't help feeling that this is how the creative mind works...it sorta just throws up all the facts and has them around for reference while it works in a corner on the result...I'll tell you what, I'd buy a child to clean up the studio every day if I thought that I could get away with it. I've offered cash for teenagers for this purpose...if it's a girl I assure the parent that this and this alone is my intent. If it's a boy, I get this look of " you trying to get this kid to clean up after you is like teaching a fish to sing...He can't even keep up with his own stuff." Alas, I was not raised this way. I was raised by loving parents...One an Italian housewife who took great pride in the fact that her house was always clean with her own filing system ( my mother never threw anything away. When she died we had to get rid of boxes of contact paper scraps, grocery bags that had used grocery bags all carefully folded and stored away for when the world had a grocery bag shortage, and boxes of bows and ribbons , some that were only 2" long) and one German engineer. My work habbits drive my father competely up the wall ("I cannot understand how you can work like this. You spend half your time looking for stuff and the other half trying to remember what you wanted it for" which isn't completely true, I only spend 1/4 of my time trying to remember what I wanted it for the other 3/4 is split between looking for something and trying to find a pencil) I've gotten into the habbit of putting away 2 tools for every new one I need. That helps. But this is the way I am. If I'm painting, carving, drawing, building, designing, cutting a block for prints....My tools and my notes and calculations along with the other flotsum that goes with it spread all over my work surface and me in one little corner busily working away. I only mention this because I caught myself doing it at work. I had to sit while I worked so everything I needed needed to be at arms length or closer...and my arms are only about 2' + long.
posted by ak at 3:37 PM
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