Each clock unique in design, representing hundreds hours of hand craftsmanship as every gear and movement is shaped and finely tuned.
At some point in life, you need to listen to the voices inside your head and pursue only what you are truly passionate about.
Welcome to Drakyn
"Clock Makers", Jost Amman, 1568
A Personal Tale
Drakyn represents a renaissance and an awakening for me after spending nearly three decades in and around the information technology industry. At my age you could call this "retirement", but I prefer to think of it as a change in career path. I am electing to put software lifecycle management, enterprise systems design, product meetings, board meetings, meetings with overly litigious corporate lawyers, seemingly endless travel…indeed to put all of these aside in favour of life at a pace that is worth living.
At some point in life, you need to listen to the voices inside your head and pursue only what you are truly passionate about. If you are very fortunate, this will happen to you while you are young. If you have vision, you will stick with these passions throughout your life and never abandon them.
I started woodworking in my father's workshop when I was about eleven years old. I can only hope that I have somehow learned through osmosis or otherwise inherited even one tenth of his ability as a true craftsman. He does some of the finest wood carving that I have seen in any gallery on three continents. From him I learned at an early age the value of fine tools and how to care for them. I also learned to love wood and the process of discovering the hidden art that was buried in a piece of timber.
Over the years I have accumulated quite an impressive array of fine hand tools and some monstrous free-standing power tools — much to the dismay of multiple moving companies. What I always seemed to lack was the spare time around a busy career to design new woodworking projects and to execute them in the shop.
Fast forward to a whole new world. Now my day begins with breakfast at the computer as it always has, but here is where the similarity ends. I have big speakers in my office which fill the space warmly with classical music while I check my email. With breakfast out of the way, I then have a major decision to make. Do I move into the workshop, work on new designs in Sketchup or do I fire up Tinderbox and Scrivener and get lost in my writing?
Indeed my other passion since childhood has been writing and books. As an adolescent, I voraciously consumed the works of Carroll, Tolkien, Assimov, Heinlein and their contemporaries. I had originally planned a career as a journalist, but life necessarily directed me towards other paths. I believe I still own just about every book that I have read since puberty. Yes, there is the other reason that moving companies absolutely hated our family. I clung to my dreams by collecting hundreds of books and reading voraciously. Sadly, the closest I came to writing that great Canadian novel were a number of highly technical manuals for the IT industry.
This web site then is about dreams, ideas and their execution. It is about a renaissance and rediscovery of the finer things in life. It's about inspiration, fine woodworking, mystical puzzle boxes, intricate wooden clocks and custom furniture making. It is also about the process of writing. It's about passion. It's about tools. It's about the end result of combining all of these elements together. Finally, this web site is about the process of putting heart and soul behind something, without fear of failure or expectation of success.
I encourage you to share this exploration and in turn be encouraged to pursue that which fuels your soul.
~ Bruce ~
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Mystical puzzle boxes for the adventurous, more earthly creations for the timid—each uniquely designed, crafted with precision from the finest woods and hand polished to a warm lustre
A look into the literary world of The Drakyn and the process of bringing them to life
Recent Blog Posts
So Much To Do, So Little TimeI have been remiss in my responsibilities to Drakyn for the past six weeks. I confess that I have barely set foot in the shop nor have I done any serious writing in that time. I would feel guilty, but … Continue reading
Drakyn Upgrade – New Processes and Tools For Writing and WoodworkingThis year I set aside the month of April to upgrade and implement changes to my work environment, processes and tools – both as a writer and a woodworker. Metaphorically, it was a time to sharpen the saw. In reality, … Continue reading
Is Woodworking a Green Technology?Having grown up in Northern Ontario, I have always had a deep appreciation for the natural beauty of this area and a deep respect for those who work diligently to conserve our natural heritage. I want to support green technologies … Continue reading
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