Some years ago the idea of cross-training in sporting activities was one of those "breakthrough" ideas. It made a lot of sense for someone to not completely concentrate only on training in one specific physical activity. It was found that an athlete who was a tennis player, for instance, could improve his game if he also lifted weights, or did running. Those extra activities strengthened his overall tennis performance. I think that the cross-training approach can be applied to many other aspects of our lives.
In graphic design, I think that it is of great benefit for an individual to have broad areas of interest. It makes a person be more rounded. It also helps one have a greater perspective. It helps creativity. I read the paper daily, watch the TV news daily, explore multiple genres of music, and also have several hobbies that lie outside of design and advertising. Sort of like "cross-living".
A few years ago, my good friend, Gordon, who is a famous photographer, invited me to go fishing in a wooden boat he had built. Gordon has actually built quite a few wooden boats of varying types and sizes. I was quite impressed and became interested in building one myself. My dad, who has passed away, was always making things, designing things, and building things. He was an engineer, mechanic and craftsman. I take after him in certain ways more than do my siblings, so I was confident that building a wooden boat was something I could do. Like design, there is a "layout" which is like the building plans or blueprint, and there are the methods of construction, which are like the principles of graphic design. With Gordon's help I decided on a particular boat plan called the San Juan Dory. It is a 16' flat-bottomed skiff.
However, first I had to go through a kind of "test". Gordon told me I had to build a set of 4 sawhorses, specifically for the boat project. I had some store-bought sawhorses, but I was informed that they would not be adequate for the project. He gave me a little printout of a "plan" for the sawhorses. Little did I know that this was the beginning of my practicing and training for the boat building project. The plan for the sawhorses is shown at the left. It was especially difficult because the legs, for instance, didn't have a single right angle anywhere. I guess I passed the test. I was deemed worthy of Gordon's time. He helped me tremendously in early stages of reading the plans, making a list of the wood needed to get started, and lofting the plans onto some very large paper at full size.
Right now I am at least 3 years into the boat project. I did have an extended period of inactivity, but in the last half year I've managed to make a great deal of progress. It has been very rewarding to see the construction develop. The original design, through the boat plans, is coming to life. I've learned things and developed skills that I never thought I had in me.
In the weeks to come, I will post installments of my boat building project on this blog.
Below is the view from the front end of the boat.
This is the "stem", at the very tip of the bow. It is a thick, curved laminated construction.
