TJ Episode 29: Wrapping Up the Season, Launching a Book, and a Week That Didn't Stop
I've been thinking a lot about Turner's Journey lately, about what it is, how often it should land, and where it goes from here. After all your generous comments and suggestions over recent weeks, I've decided to bring this first season to a close at Episode 30. That gives us a nice round number and, more importantly, gives me a few weeks to step back, take a breath, and figure out the shape of what comes next.
I didn't manage any filming during last week's lessons. That was a deliberate choice. When someone's in the workshop for a one-to-one or a class, my job is to give them the best possible experience I can. I'll only pick up the camera when I'm confident it won't get in the way of that. What I always make time for is photographing the students, and some of the shots from recent lessons have been genuinely fantastic.
Les was in during the week turning some enormous oak pillars, straightforward cylinders destined for an architect's staircase. They were big enough that it took both of us to get them onto the lathe. The precision needed was considerable because they stack on top of each other, so each one had to be spot-on. There's something very impressive about watching that kind of careful, exacting work, even when the form itself is simple.
Away from the teaching, I've been having a quiet play with a hollow form that started life as a demonstration piece a few weeks ago. Some carving, some hand sanding, and I'm really pleased with how it's coming together. There are a couple of small things niggling me, but you'll probably hear about those when the project video eventually goes live. Give me a week or two on that one.
The week itself was, to put it mildly, bonkers. On Wednesday, I headed up to London for the AGM of the Register of Professional Turners, where I sit on the committee. I gave reports on the newsletter and the professional development training side of things, and it turned into a really enjoyable full day followed by drinks and a meal in the evening. Thursday brought a follow-up committee meeting in the city, and then on Friday I drove down to Yandles in Somerset for a late afternoon demonstration between four and six. It was a brilliant turnout, and it was genuinely lovely to catch up with old friends and meet some new ones too. Thank you to everyone who made the effort to come along.
From Yandles it was straight back home, because Saturday and Sunday were both teaching days. By the time I sat down to record the last bits of this episode, I felt like I'd run a marathon.
But in the middle of all that chaos came a moment I'd been waiting for. My copies of A Maker's Mindset arrived. I've had the final proof in my hand, all 220-odd pages of it for a few days, reformatted from the first proof because the original type set was a touch too small. The book goes live on Amazon on the 3rd of March, in both paperback and Kindle. If you were kind enough to pre-order a signed copy from me, thank you. I'll get those sent out as soon as I've worked my way through the pile with a pen.
Buy A Maker's Mindset: Available worldwide through Amazon, or directly from me at https://www.msabansmith.com/shop/p/a-makers-mindset-30-lessons-from-the-lathe Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/1068358122 Kindle: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0GMLGFVXG
It's been quite a season. Thirty episodes of workshop life, teaching, projects, book writing, demonstrations, and everything in between. Final episode next week.
I'm looking forward to the break, and I'm already looking forward to coming back.