Been in a bit of an active slump.
I spent most of jan moving into the new shop in Halifax.
It’s nice to (almost) have my own space, one where I can flip pieces without hitting asbestos covered pipes or dust covered walls. The new place is an outbuilding garage, so it’s easy to offload tools and auction junk into. There’s 220 power, which I’ll eventually have to share, but for now it’s all mine, and later there my be a way to split it or run two lines, as the house already has additional 220 hookups.
The not so nice: there’s no heat. I like the cold. I really do. I never mind shivering and usually wear t-shirts in the winter, but I’ve come to a point I never could have imagined: the thought of the cold studio actually makes me less interested in making the commute. Which is half an hour over a mountain, or forty minutes around it. My landlords loaned me two heaters, one which runs on 220 and one that runs on propane. I ran the propane heater for a bit, before a friend forced me to research it and I came across the multiple warnings against indoor use (specifically citing garages as no-nos, as if the article knew!) The 220 works, but it takes up all my amps, and if you’ve followed my Instagram of late, you’ll know my meaning of “works.” Despite the fairly beefy, if aged fuse panel inside the garage, what feeds it are a pair of 20 amp breakers.
So, for now, I have the same power constraints, plus cold driven lethargy, and a half hour commute in place of an asbestos dungeon. And you know what? It’s worth it.
I like my new place. I like driving past the Appalachian Trail twice a day. I like being able to fit professional tools into my workspace and I especially like not having to take them up or down stairs.
The place isn’t perfect, but what it is, is mutable. The landlords and I are going to be improving the space. More power, more light, and something I never thought I’d be excited for: heat.
I’m looking forward to growing into the space and for it to grow into the kind of making space I’ve always fantasized about. I hope you’ll join me for the journey.