Notes From the Shop

Issue 4, October

Hi ,

Part of my morning routine involves sitting with my cats. Or more accurately, sitting outside while they wander the backyard, hunt bugs, and roll in the dirt. Cobra and Bubbles are indoor cats but with closely monitored outdoor privileges for an hour or so every morning. They get to live on the wild side until I sound a single click on a clicker prompting them to bolt inside for treats and allowing me to begin my day’s activities.

Over the past few months of daily cat-sitting, I’ve come to value this time more and more. I sit in a lawn chair with a cup of coffee as the sun is still rising, trying to plan out my goals for the day and all that I want to accomplish.

At least that’s what I’ve been telling myself. In reality, I plop my butt down, pull out my phone, and spend an hour staring at its screen. I watch YouTube videos and check in on my Instagram feed. I reply to comments here and there and answer emails. Hey, that’s “work-related” right? Sure.

I’m not sure how it got to this point, but the amount of screen time in my life has become scary, so I recently decided to live my digital life with more purpose and intention. Basically, I want to approach my online life in the minimalist way I try to live the rest of my life.

I’ve begun cat-sitting with only my coffee and my thoughts. It’s funny how unaccustomed we’ve become to spending time in our own heads. I listen to the early morning birds and the oddly comforting drone of the freeway. I enjoy watching the cats doing cat stuff. I create my own train of thought without scrolling.

One of the things I’ve observed is that I actually accomplish a lot more now. I can clearly focus on a sequence of events that I need to complete in order to reach the day’s goals. But more importantly, I'm more creative when I spend time just being. I ponder woodworking projects I want to make and imagine all the steps and potential pitfalls. I brainstorm ideas for a Halloween video. The text you’re reading right now is a result of this morning’s cat-sitting and thinking session.

Woodworking is a hobby that offers you not just time physically alone, but a lot of time in your own head. Embrace this. Woodworking is about so much more than making things. Value the time in your shop as an opportunity to get to know yourself. Allow your shop to be a sanctuary by making it a screen-free zone. If you listen to music or podcasts, try turning them off. I think it’s worth experimenting with, and if you do, let me know how it goes.

And now that autumn is here and the days are cooler, there is no better time to get out into the shop. If you are new to the world of woodworking, I invite you to enroll in The Weekend Woodworker course and start building your first project this weekend. Plus, fall is the time of year that woodworkers tend to ramp up production. There is no shortage of seasonal projects to keep us busy over the next three months, starting with Halloween, my favorite time of the year!

I thought it would be fun to showcase some spooky projects made by Weekend Woodworker members. Halloween may be a little more low-key this year, but there’s no reason we can’t still have fun creating a few 2020 scares that we control! 👻🎃

Have a great October!

— Steve

P.S. For more spooky woodworking entertainment, check out my Halloween playlist containing all the Halloween videos I’ve made over the past decade.

P.P.S. It’s a sign that you have finally gone crazy when you have an Instagram account for a cat. Oh BTW, you can follow Cobra and Bubbles here.

COMMUNITY HIGHLIGHT

Devin, a member of The Weekend Woodworker community, knows the way to my heart. I LOVE this Anabelle dollhouse! The Conjuring is one of my favorite film series. Something else really neat about Devin that touched my heart was that he told me I was the reason he started woodworking. My videos led him to pursue a degree in Building Construction Technology, and get promoted at work! It might not seem like a big deal, but knowing that I can have an impact on other people’s lives, like leading them into a fulfilling career, makes what I do so meaningful.