On Sun, 10 Dec 2006 14:58:31 GMT, "Juvenal"
wrote:

So I would say that being "above-average" in creative ability and in
three-dimensional resoning is what informs my work. (Less this sounds
pompous, let me just add that the areas in which my brain is far below
average outweigh my few talents.)

So I wonder what abilities people bring to their work that helps to shape it
and make it unique?

Here's the flip side of that coin... I don't know that I am
particularly creative in the way in which it seems to be used in the
context of "art". While I am pretty good at three-dimentional
reasoning, it is more like visualizing coordinates on a grid and
finding points than anything viseral. I prefer parabolic shapes
that could be defined by a clean equation to organic shapes- though
those two are less exclusive than they appear at first, and try to
keep things clean and neat rather than embellish them- the credit for
embellishment goes more to the grain in the wood than to myself in
most cases!

But I'd think I'm actually fairly creative if you just look at the
word, and forget the context that art has put it in. I make a lot of
original objects that are generally attractive, and always functional.
If that isn't creation, I'm not sure what is!

There is certainly room for all approaches in any hobby work like
woodturning or more general woodworking- after all, that's why we have
things like Queen Anne chairs for some folks, and Morris chairs for
others.