The drive to create
It's not about fancy tools or even talent
Here’s to making something great this weekend. ~JRC
The other day I was watching various maker channels on YouTube. Many of these creators have top-notch shops. One, in particular, looked like a showroom floor for Powermatic. There were tens of thousands of dollars worth of these high-end tools in that guy's shop.
This picture perfect maker space got me thinking. What does it take to create? Is it a shop full of great tools? Is it raw talent? Or is it simply the will - the drive - to make?
There's no denying that quality tools make a job easier. I've spent years making with sub-par equipment. And when I don't have the right tool for the job, makeshift workarounds are unsatisfying. But when I have the right tool, the work flows, and I feel capable. Having something in hand that one can trust to do the job is gratifying.
But I can make do without. And I still love to make, even when under-equipped. For me, it's creating that's most important. But is it a compromise?
It might be slightly stereotypical, but my mom is amazing in the kitchen and my dad in the woodshop. We are visiting them in Ohio this week, and all the great cooking is spoiling my son and me. And touring their house is like visiting a craftsman's museum. My dad's expert creations are on display everywhere.
The thing is, neither Mom nor Pop has the best of the best tools. Mom doesn't seem to have a sharp knife anywhere. But she can dice a perfect mirepoix without batting an eye. And dad's old Craftsman table saw looks impossible to use with its wonky fence. But his woodcrafts are as straight, level, and plumb as anything I've ever seen.
Visiting their home reminds me that it's not about the fancy tools. Instead, what matters most is what you do with what you have. And for them, they've created a life full of ingenuity, resolve, and warmth.
Are my parents simply talented and able to work well, even without the best tools? I would say yes - with qualification. There's no doubt creativity runs in my family. And there are heritable qualities that contribute to my parents being so good at what they do. But I also know that my parents' mastery of their crafts is also about drive. For them, doing well is born of tradition, necessity, and satisfaction in a job well done.
I've bragged a lot about not only my parent's creativity but also my son's. He loves to make and spends much of his free time drawing, painting, and crafting. It scratches that itch for him, much like it does for me, and he is happiest when he is making something from nothing.
In him, I see that very same drive that is in my parents. But I also see a lot of unhoned raw talent. It will take years - a lifetime - for him to master his abilities. And the only way to do that is to put in the hours.
He will, of course. I am there to encourage him, and so are his loving mother and engaged grandparents. We all appreciate the value of hard work, and we're committed to helping him achieve.
The takeaway here is that it's not about the tools at all. Nor is it even raw talent. It's about what we do with the tools and abilities we have.
But success is not guaranteed. We need to work at it and learn to do our best despite the circumstances. My parents have done that. And I am working to own the same. My son too, if I can help it.
The reward, then, is not a fancy shop full of great tools. Instead, it is the benefits of creating and the satisfaction of doing one's best, no matter what. It's what we do that matters most.
Until next time.
JRC