on writing and on art.

My mother had once suggested, "Write about what you know, and if you don't know it, don't write about it." This may not apply directly to fiction or to poetry, but both of those have greater, more profound effect when drawn from real life.  Even science fiction and fantasy are brought to greater life when they draw upon emotions that are known and real to the reader or are made real by the use of literary devices that make the scene and characters seem more real. So the writer gains a particular advantage by being involved in real life and doing real things. Even woodworking may be useful as a source of metaphor, and provide an interpretive framework for clarifying and understanding life.

When I write instructions on how to make things, I first must prove that my instructions actually work and are thus true. Poets and other writers are not necessarily under the same constraints. When I write it's to empower others to do what I do. Other writers may not be under the same constraints.

Yesterday I was interviewed on camera by our high school students who are creating an online artist registry for our town. I carefully explained that I'm more a craftsman than an artist, in that I want my work to be useful as well as beautiful and to be an "artist' or whether or not something is "art," is something for others to decide. This is particularly true of useful objects. A painting is always called art but the same is not always said of a teacup or box.

One man a few years back had told me that if you can sell it it's art. His art's not my art.

The photo is of assembled sections of table base. These will be fitted to a central beam, textured and ebonized, but at the moment they resemble objects Froebel might have designed for children to play with and learn from.

Make, fix and create. Prepare for others to learn likewise.