Write 31 Days- Day 6 Don't get wrapped around an axle

This is somewhat a continuation of yesterday's ramble through the mire of my mind about simultaneous creativity or original creativity.

If we go back to the definition of creativity that we used on day 1, it gets one to thinking. Well, it gets ME to thinking as I'm waiting on a video to render; not sure how your days is going in that regards.

Creativity- having or showing an ability to make new things or think of new ideas

 Without waxing poetically or wandering into the metaphysical realm, what does the word "new" mean in this definition. New as to the planet or new to just myself? What about trying something to validate if it works thus becoming a "new" skill you now have that you didn't before?

Case in point is me making my own rosettes and head stock overlays for my guitars. The rosette is the round design that goes around the sound hole and the head stock overlay is up by the tuners and traditionally where the logo goes for the manufacturer. I first saw a spalted** rosette in a book on classical guitar making by Bogdanovich and thought it was the neatest thing since athletic shoes with pockets (dating myself I imagine). I ordered a 6"x6" piece of spalted maple and made one for a 12-string guitar I was restoring that was found in a brush pile. Some time later I'm making another guitar for a friend and am in need of a rosette when I find some spalted wood in my son's firewood pile. I think to myself it might be neat to bookmatch^ that wood and make a rosette with a symetrical pattern to it.

Spalted book matched headstock overlay

So I did. I sliced the wood into 1/4" slices, evened-up the edges I was going to join and made a single piece of mirrored wood. I eventually installed it into the guitar top.So here's the $64,000 question:

Was it new? Did it fit the definition of creative?

I know that spalted rosettes have been made as I've seen Bogdanovich and others use them. I haven't seen anyone using a bookmatched spalted rosette or head stock, but I have to imagine it has been done before. So the question begs to be asked did I do anything creative as per our definition.

Now before we get too hung up on this realize that this is purely an academic exercise. Away from this blog entry I really don't care if what I do fits a definition of, well...anything. I enjoy greatly having a problem (I need a rosette) and finding a solution to that problem (make my own from firewood) especially if it impacts the budget in a minimal fashion. Don't get hung up on what labels may/may not get stuck to you.

And as I sign off, please say a prayer for everyone getting hammered by Hurricane Matthew. I have relatives that fled their homes on the Georgia coast today and folks in Haiti and other Caribbean locations are having a tough go of things.



**spalting is a process where colonies of fungus invade a piece of dead wood and turn it different colors. It is a natural decay process that can create very stunning patterns.

^bookmatching is where you slice thin pieces of wood and open the cuts like pages in a book, the resulting pattern can be very symmetrical and appealing