Coming Home

Coming home always carries a strange kind of contrast. There's the comfort of familiar spaces, familiar routines, and work waiting patiently where you left it. But for a little while, part of you is still somewhere else.

When I walked back into the workshop, everything looked exactly as I had left it. The two Harrison houses were still waiting on the table. Paint samples were scattered across my work surface. Notes were tucked into corners, marking ideas I planned to return to. Nothing had changed.

But I had.

Travel has a way of creating a pause. Projects stop. Decisions wait. The constant momentum of making gives way to simply observing. And when that pause ends, you often discover you've been given something unexpected. Fresh eyes.

Over the past few weeks in Turkey, I spent time surrounded by craftsmanship in a different form. I admired old wooden houses that have been cared for through

generations, watched traditional handwork continue in everyday life, and met people who preserve their own history through the things they create. I didn't return home with new plans for the Harrison houses. I returned with a different perspective.

As I looked at the Harrisons again, I found myself noticing details I hadn't fully appreciated before. Some design decisions suddenly felt right. Others quietly asked for more thought. Nothing about the houses had changed during my absence, but the distance had given me clarity. I've come to appreciate that these pauses are just as much a part of the creative process as the hours spent building.

It's tempting to think progress only happens when we're painting, sanding, wiring, or installing trim. Sometimes progress happens while we're away which gives ideas a little needed space to grow before they reveal themselves.

Over the next few weeks, I'll be returning to both Harrison houses and sharing their progress here in the Workshop Journal. I'm looking forward to seeing where they lead now that I've returned with a renewed perspective.

Sometimes the work begins not with building......but with looking again.