My main project inspiration is to create something “useful.” I’m leaning towards woodworking to make a piece of furniture.  I’m apprehensive because I’ve never made furniture before, and haven’t worked with wood outside of undergrad school tours, over 5 years ago.  

As of now, I’m sticking with my plan of woodworking and some type of furniture for my apartment.  I signed up for the Idea Forge woodworking workshop this Tuesday, February 25, and that should give me a clearer idea of what resources I’m working with.  I hope to learn how much excess materials they have, how much room, what machines I could utilize, and see examples of what can be made there. I’ve also looked at some other pieces of furniture, since an entire coffee table feels ambitious for having basically never worked with wood before.  I’m considering a side table (for couches and beds), and standing lamps. My room has really shitty lighting, with no overhead light at all and only 1 wall light; I’ve been looking for another standing lamp for a few months now. Based on some research, I think industrial or minimalist aesthetics will be the cleanest look I can achieve.  Since I’m a beginner, I don’t think I’ll be good at intricate curves and features for any item of furniture. Below are some examples of standing lamps that fit those aesthetics. 

For long term plans, I’m going to determine what day I want to be done, and work backwards to create a weekly schedule for myself that holds me accountable, outside of what we need to write for class.    Based on my previous project, I need to account for many more mishaps and multiple restarts if I want to fully like what I create.

After the wood shop tour, I’ll decide if woodworking seems like an outrageous choice.  If so, I don’t currently have any backup plans. However, I can take this weekend to figure out a project, and make sure to choose materials I’m familiar with and/or worked with before, as well as make sure whatever I choose is doable.  For other inspiration, I will go through previous student’s coursework to see what’s been done before. If I get stuck, my main concern will be not biting off more than I can chew. Based on the upcycle projects, the simpler the project, the more likely it is to come out nice and presentable.