When I was going to Illinois State to receive my Bachelors degree in Photography and Graphic Design, there were several other courses that I had to take that had absolutely nothing to do with the fields I was studying. I had the typical gen ed courses, then I had 2D Design classes and 3D design classes.
The 2D Design courses were topics such as: drawing, painting, photography, videography, etc.
The 3D Design courses were topics like: glass blowing, ceramics, sculpture, and wood & metals.
One of my closest friends and I had already taken a glass blowing class as one of our 3D Design classes that we had to get in, and we had one more that we had to take. Neither one of us had much of an interest in 3D Design, and many of the ones that did sound appealing to us, the teachers didn’t have good reviews on.
So which class were was our last resort? Wood & Metals, of course.
We both went into the class not knowing what to expect in any way. I had never touched a saw in my entire life, so needless to say, I was nervous.
Throughout the semester, this class ended up being the one I focused majority of my attention on.
I made a ring out of metal, that I had shaped, carved, molded, waxed, soldered, casted, and perfected. I poured literal blood, sweat, and tears into that piece, and wow was I proud of it.
I made two other pieces in that class, and one was more of a conceptual piece in the shape of a guitar, which was made of wood. The second was a book that I was creating for both my final projects in Photography and Graphic Design, so I created my book cover to be made from wood.
The process was just as long, if not longer. I had to pick out my wood, plan and measure where I would cut, cut it with a saw and get the measurements just perfectly right. I had to mill the boards, cut the joints, glue, clamp, sand, finish, and do so many things to create the pieces, that I found myself in the wood shop many extra hours outside of class, just to finish them.
I ended that class exhausted, but also proud. Proud of those beautiful pieces that I created with my two hands. Those pieces that were all mine, and pieces that I could look at and remember all of the time and hard work that went into them.
I may have not loved every minute of that class, and I would say I definitely didn’t fit into that class, as I’m not exactly the wood-working saw-using type of gal.;)
BUT, I also left that class with an entire new outlook on the little things in life.
When was the last time you truly appreciated the ring you’re wearing on your finger? Or the bed that you sleep in? Or the dinner that you just ate, or the people in your life?
What that wood & metals class taught me was so much more than just how to use a saw or how to solder two pieces together.
It taught me to truly not take anything for granted.
There are so many things that we take for granted on a daily basis, that so many don’t even have, or if they do, they had to work so hard to get. The food that we eat, the clothes that we wear, the cars that we drive, the health that we have, the homes that we live in.
So now, every time I photograph those stunning jewels that brides and grooms make a promise and a vow with, I appreciate all of the time and money and sweat and hard work that went into creating that ring and that block of wood that it sits on.
And I am just a little extra thankful for my craft and what I get to do every day. That I get to capture memories that will be held onto for years to come.
Let’s be thankful for the little things, the big things, and everything in between. God created a big world for us to live in. So let’s appreciate this big world, and everything else that comes with this place we call Earth.
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