I myself have embarked on a life via curiosity and ambition. A love of building. Explorations of physical existence being one in which I cannot stop myself from either disassembling or wanting to build myself. Bringing the substances of the world into a sort of form which is intended to serve a purpose (teleology). Woodworking, metalworking many other materials which teach us the ways to subtract from or add to (tectonic vs stereotomic) or wet mix processing which leads to shaping, sculpting, joining or surfacing. Water and pigment to create a paint. Water and powder to make mortars or plasters. All these ways in which to bring order to a certain thing for the purposes from which we determine. It has provide me with a life of peaceful agency and at least a perspective of understanding.

version 2

I’ve always been curious and ambitious, but most of all, I’ve always loved making things. I want to understand the physical world by working with it—taking things apart, figuring out how they work, and building them back into something useful. Wood, metal, paint, plaster, and other materials all teach the same basic lesson: we can change the world by adding, removing, shaping, joining, and refining things. A few simple materials can become something entirely different when we give them form and purpose. That process of making has shaped the way I see life. It has given me a sense of agency, a peaceful way to participate in the world, and a practical way of understanding it.

version 3

I have built my life around curiosity, ambition, and the desire to make things. I like taking things apart, understanding them, and figuring out how to build them again—or build something entirely new. Working with wood, metal, paint, plaster, and other materials has taught me that making is really about transforming things. We cut away, add to, shape, join, and finish materials until they become something useful or meaningful. Wood becomes furniture. Metal becomes structure. Water and pigment become paint. Powder and water become plaster or mortar. In all of these processes, we take something that exists and give it a new order and purpose. Making has given me a life of active participation in the world and a sense that I can understand things by working with them.