What's Your Compulsion?

Spending time with different woodworkers has been very clarifying about the different motivations that drive people in the workshop. Making anything requires compulsion, an itch you must scratch. This compulsion can take many forms, like making something you need for your home, learning a new skill, practicing an old one, making something beautiful, solving a design problem...

I have long indulged my compulsions, not always in the most healthy ways. Sometimes that itch becomes maddening and my impulse control withers. These are the nights laying in bed with my eyes closed, watching a 3D model of my obsession rotate in my head, sure that there is something that I am missing. I love those times.

There are a few types of compulsion/motivation I think about and believe are worth considering: learning, process, and results.

Everyone has been deeply involved with the learning, otherwise you wouldn’t even start. The desire to learn, try and understand is natural and harrowing at the same time. It’s a special kind of thrill when ignorance gives way to understanding and achieving, . This requires faith in yourself and a positive mindset that is hopeful and bold.

Being drawn to the process is all about the doing. Even after thousands of spindles and hundreds of spoons, I can get fully engrossed and hate to be interrupted. Spoon carvers gather so they can sit in a group and carve in dead silence. The flow state lives here.

The other is more a motivation to have done the thing. A fantasy about how great it will be to stand next to the finished object, to feel accomplished for having done it. Most often these three motivations are intertwined. A big payoff can motivate me through drudgery and a fun project can be it’s own reward. When planning your path in the workshop, I think it’s helpful to consider what is driving the plan. Balancing and being aware of your motivations, with your personal development in mind is essential to keeping momentum.

Learning is intoxicating. I see it all the time in my classes. The focus comes naturally because so much is at play. I’ve always structured my shop and business so learning could take center stage. It took lots of time, but I finally give myself lots of space for play and failure, which reduces the stress. I think if your being honest, this will be one of the main drivers in your work. Even though it’s easier to identify my goal with the finished product, it’s the rush of learning that I need.

Process is what happens after I finish my coffee in the morning. After much exploration, I know how I want to spend my days, and no end result is going to change that. I’m somewhat limited by this knowledge, but at least I know that my time will be enjoyable and therefore I’m likely to keep at it. Yes, it may be a bit indulgent, but I’m being realistic about my ability to be constantly self disciplined in the face of unpleasant tasks.

The other compulsion, the anticipation of having completed the work can be a dangerous one. It’s easy to imagine the finish line, admiring that project with 1200 hand cut dovetails. But this image can fade in light of the realities of the task, stalling the process. Wood projects left to sit become like stone, impervious to the tools in the shop, requiring a huge effort or magic spell to become pliable again. This can be really tough to overcome. I find this my weakest motivation, which is attested to by every unfinished project ever.

I don’t have solutions to this, I’m constantly balancing the impulses. I lean more towards following my joy and curiosity in the making more than the having made. Not all jobs are fun, I think it’s important to have an eye out for the fun parts and a willingness to limit, the stuff you don’t actually want to do, and be very realistic about the tasks that simply must be done. For me, I know the thrill of learning will give way to the monotony of knowing, so it’s wise to pick something where the doing part is enjoyable and the learning potential is deep.

When I started out, I thought I should try to learn and do everything. Now, I don’t judge myself for not being able or interested, I leave it to others to make that stuff. I can simply admire their work. I stick to shaping wood, making tools and thinking about chairs in my sleep, all of which I do compulsively.