I love this. It’s a board I mocked up in 2007. There was an article these three elements came from. In typical RS reading fashion, I opened to the page and grabbed the important parts of the story. Full disclosure – it was a trade show weekend and I got the idea to go to Staples, buy some X-Acto blades, a stainless rule, some foam core, and a can of Spray Mount and make myself a little display for my booth space table. You’re looking at it now.
2007 – that’s a decade ago. Roughly 35 years at the bench and I was still searching for something else, and not yet but almost ready to finally accept the random nature in bicycle frame making. The idea that I could lure everything into a desired state (my desire, that is…) was giving way to – well, to just giving up and being satisfied with what came.
And then there was this text about knitting, and the hand-madeness of it all. And the human touch, quirks, irregularities, peccadilloes, and all were not only accepted, they were often the heralded features of a finished piece. That’s gold, Jerry! Gold!
Ten years on and I’m more comfortable, finally comfortable in my own working skin. Each commission comes with a level of anxiety. A level of terror. You just never, ever know what it will be until it’s over.
.
