Dibble Studios - Kicking Things Off

Starting this shop is something I've been noodling on for a while now, as I tend to do. 

There's a lot of factors at play, not least of which are the myriad vulnerability factors that come in to play when it comes time to put your work out for all to see and to put dollar values on your time, effort, and attention to detail. As I've worked through building this store, I've immediately become more critical of my own work.

Whether it be what are to me glaring issues in the products I've made, to the quality of photos, on to even just the layout and text on this site. Everything is under fresh scrutiny.

Lots of what I've made has gone off to other homes. Whether it be commissions, wedding presents, or gifts, I am in some ways stuck with some of the mediocre photos of pieces past.

We are our own harshest critics and I've come to terms with the scrutiny, or at least I'm working on it. Just as I loath a blemish or flaw on a piece and consider it a glaring error that might well go unnoticed by others forever, the same goes for the expanded scope of this space. 

I've been trying to focus on the things I can control, on improving. That means, now, presentment on this store, too. So I've been focusing on improving my photography skills, which are long atrophied if not fully gone despite a past of doing it when I was younger. 

The grain of wood, the way it works and moves with the shape and form of the piece are really some of my favorite aspects of this work. The tricky part is getting a camera to capture the way I feel about it to better share with you all. 

Suffice it to say, I'm (hyper)focused on it of late and for the pieces I have I am getting much improved photos for you to see. I am going to do what I can to also get better photos of pieces others have now as well. As I catch up and improve, the photos will, too. Some will be middling possibly indefinitely depending on where that project lives, and new projects will start with a much stronger baseline before they arrive at their new homes.

I've always loved documenting the process of taking boards and making them in to beautiful and functional things. I've even got a variety of blog-style write-ups on a bunch of my projects that walk through it all, but I've not yet decided if I bring those here. 

I suspect I'll be shifting to practicing photography along the way with each project, too. I love the idea of beautiful progress pictures to capture the heart and sole of what goes in to these things, what goes in to building and creating in general. Maybe I'll bring that here, it can be a lot of work so we'll see.