The Urge to Create With My Hands

You ever get that urge to get back to basics and instead of creating something online and out of bits and bytes, make it out of wood and metal?

I've had that urge lately and yet I currently have minimal skills to actually do anything with that urge.

Earlier this year, my dad built both kids clubhouses out in the woods behind our house. The whole time I pondered if I could have taken their sketches and turned them into reality or not. My dad did such a great job with them.

Then I watched this video from Best Made Company who make hand crafted axes and other items. That is the sort of craftsmanship that you don't see as often as you use to. You've got to respect someone who can create something of beauty from raw materials, their imagination and years of honed skills.

Finally, I was reading the latest Men's Journal and they were interviewing Jesse James on his ranch in Austin and he was talking about taking old world blacksmithing classes and created hammers out of raw metal. That's insanely awesome.

Yes, I've done work with my hands over the years and when I was little I use to noodle around on my own little work bench from time to time. But, I've never really created anything from raw materials like these examples.

I thought about buying any old door and perhaps turning it into a desk or starting small with some shelves in our shed. Or maybe I'll just buy a kit and make my own ax.

Whatever it is, I've got the urge and when that happens I usually have to do something about it. I'll keep you updated.