avatarLucy Dan 蛋小姐 (she/her/她)

Summary

The article "The Six W’s of Woodworking" is a reflective piece that explores the interplay between various aspects of life and creativity, drawing parallels with the craft of woodworking.

Abstract

The author of "The Six W’s of Woodworking" uses the metaphor of woodworking to delve into the multifaceted nature of human experience, encompassing mindfulness, artistry, science, humor, wisdom, and the process of growth. Through a personal lens, the writer illustrates how their engagement with different activities—crafting, working, joking, reflecting, and creating—intertwine and support one another, much like the thematic structure of the "Woordworkers of the World" publication. The piece emphasizes the importance of balance among these facets and the continuous journey of self-discovery and learning, acknowledging that adulthood is an evolving process without a definitive guidebook.

Opinions

  • The author finds a sense of mindfulness and flow in crafting, whether it be with wood, paper, or even in cooking by blending seemingly clashing flavors.
  • They see their scientific work as complementary to their artistic endeavors, with science describing the collective patterns of individual stories.
  • Humor is valued as a way to reframe potentially difficult experiences, lightening the load of life's oddities and challenges.
  • Reflecting on past experiences is seen as valuable, providing insights into personal growth and change when compared to the present.
  • The author appreciates the structure provided by the "Woordworkers of the World" publication's six prompt themes, which offer a new perspective on the different areas of life.
  • There is an acknowledgment that adulthood does not come with a set of rules or a clear end to the learning process, and that the future is shaped by the mistakes and lessons of the present.

The Six W’s of Woodworking

A poem

Photo by Nathan Lemon on Unsplash

Wood in crafts, I find mindfulness, flow the feeling of being immersed in an experience of creating, the familiarity of my hands dancing across whatever skills they already know so well.

my medium is not wood, but rather paper (whether writing or origami);

and if it counts, rather than mediums, I work with ingredients, experimenting if clashing flavours can blend with harmony like bold blues and reds into calming purples.

Work the science I do complements nicely with the art I create.

while my art speaks of individual stories, narratives of how each unique perspective perceives and navigates the world differently,

my science is an aggregate that tries to describe the constellation amongst these stars.

Wit and if I am not crafting or working, I am laughing and enjoying even the moments that would traditionally be considered suffering now reframed in a humorous light.

for my life is a series of possibly odd, possibly unfortunate, possibly uncanny experiences

that feels very much like I am the Sims character of a particularly cruel and bored teenager.

Wisdom in reliving those moments of the past, there is such value in experiencing not only my current perspective of the past

but also the crafts, writing, photos that depict how I felt and thought in those moments.

for we don’t quite really notice change, growth as it happens, until we have a tangible comparison point.

Wonder there are the 6 Ws of Woodworkers’ craft, and there are the 5 Ws of curiosity.

together there is a harmony and beauty in how the human brain seeks always to look forward, to try to predict and learn and know more about our futures,

and also to pattern-ify what currently exists into beautiful and neat narratives.

Wee Wuns Works though some my age certainly have children of their own we’re in this awkward phase of the twenties where yet others my age including myself are still very much growing into the space that defines adulthood.

I learned through your stories that perhaps there is never an end to this confusion

that there was never a guidebook or list of rules of “adulting”, and that what becomes of the world and the systems that govern it

are a result of the mistakes that we currently make as we learn.

Lucy Dan 蛋小姐 (she/her/她) really liked the way that ScienceDuuude’s publication “Woordworkers of the World” are split into six prompt themes of: wood (crafting), work (career/ jobs), wit (humor), wisdom (life), wonder (poetic/beautiful), wee wuns works (kids’ creations). It provided such a nice structure to think about the different facets of my life in a way that I hadn’t really before. I realized just how much they bleed into each other and support each other, and how in this current season I’m happy with the balance amongst these 6 Ws. Check out the full list of prompts:

Poetry
Wonder
Reflection
Growth
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