Village Flutes

One Heck of a Year

Tuesday, April 22nd, 2008

In the words of Mark Twain, “The rumors of my death have been greatly exaggerated.” It’s been almost a year and a half since my last post, which is quite embarrassing for someone who spends so much time in front of a computer.

Last time, I related a story about how I quit my job and started doing freelance web work so I would have more time for family and flutes. In case you haven’t guessed by now, that part-time freelance work really took off and quickly turned into a full-time gig. By early 2007, I was working full-time with a friend of mine, putting all my energy into growing our little web design firm. It wasn’t really what I had planned on, but it just kinda happened. In March, we hired another full-timer and got some office space. We started pulling in some big clients and things haven’t slowed down since.

My family and I went down to Musical Echoes in Florida last April and had a great time listening to music and catching up with old and new friends. A few people showed some interest in my flutes, and I was planning to come back home and get to work.

As fate would have it, within a matter of days of getting home from Florida, the most hectic year of our lives started. My wife and I found a new house that we just had to have. We needed more space for the upcoming addition to our family, and we wanted to get rid of the stairs that we hiked up and down at least a hundred times a day. As an added benefit, the new place had a two-car garage, which effectively doubled my workshop space. We closed on that house in June and started getting things set up.

In August, Charlie, our second son, was born. He was about a month premature, which wasn’t a huge deal for us because our first son was two months premature, so we already knew what to expect. By mid-September, he was ready to come home from the hospital. Then, when he was just a month old, he had to have emergency surgery to fix a problem with his stomach.

In November, I spent about 12 hours in the emergency room and the next week on the couch, all because of a kidney stone. It was my second one, so I knew instantly what was going on when the pain hit.

In December, Charlie had to go back to the hospital for another surgery. His first surgery had been very successful in fixing his stomach problem, but then he developed a hernia, so that needed to be fixed as well. Since then, he’s been doing great and is packing on the weight.

I saw an article last week saying that this was the worst cold and flu season in years. We’ve certainly seen that in our household, because we’ve been hit several times in the past few months. After three cases of bronchitis, one case of walking pneumonia, and a round of stomach virus for everyone, we’re finally feeling human again.

It’s been a rough year since Musical Echoes 2007. The 2008 festival is this weekend, and we can’t wait for the trip. We always have a great time down there, and I’m definitely looking forward to seeing everyone. It’s just like a great big family reunion. Here’s hoping this weekend marks the beginning of a new phase where I can get back to making flutes (and I really hope we can all avoid hospitals for a while).

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Big Changes

Tuesday, November 28th, 2006

Those of you that know me know that I basically live in front of a computer — when I’m not busy with all of the other things mentioned in my last post, of course. I spent five years doing graphic design, web development, and marketing for a large international corporation. In the summer of 2005, I was laid off, but I quickly landed a job at a small start-up software company doing even more graphic design, web development, and marketing along with a few new things like pay-per-click advertising and email newsletters. Both of those were good companies to work for, and I do have a lot of great experience under my belt now, but I finally reached a place where I was beyond burn-out. I felt like I was always in the office and spent two or three hours in the car every day. I hardly ever got to see my family and had very little time to even touch my flutes.

I’ve been thinking for years about doing my own thing. I’ve looked at lots of different options — opening a small retail business, writing and illustrating books, working with missions teams and relief organizations in other countries, and making flutes full time. I really felt like I was being led to do something different with my life. Of course, making a big change like that and leaving the safety and security of a guaranteed paycheck is a bit risky, especially when I’ve got the aforementioned family to clothe and feed.

In mid-September, I heard a statement that really opened my eyes. “Two farmers were both praying for rain. One just sat and waited for the rain to come, but the other started preparing his fields in anticipation of the coming rain. Which one are you?” For years, I had been like the first farmer, waiting and waiting for some sign, but I realized I needed to become the second farmer. I needed to have faith and go in the direction I was being led. I made my decision right then and there.

Within a matter of days, things really started happening that validated my decision. I asked several friends for advice just to make sure I wasn’t losing my mind, but they were all (surprisingly) totally supportive. I was offered a contract job doing web work that would allow me to work from home and work fewer hours. At the little start-up software company that week, I got a new manager (my fifth in a year), so things there were in a state of flux. Then I was given the chance to go to the Dominican Republic with my church in early October, leaving me just enough time to work out a two-week notice at the software company and pack my stuff. That was the clincher. It was so very obvious that I was supposed to make this move, so I jumped — I quit my job and I haven’t looked back.

Fast forward to today. It’s been about six weeks since I got back from my trip. Now, I basically split my time between doing contract web work and making flutes. I get to see my family a lot more. I have more time for other things that I’ve been wanting or needing to do (like updating this blog). I’m definitely a lot happier, and I’m confident that I’m doing what I’m supposed to be doing with my life right now. I’ve learned a lot through this experience, and I feel like my faith has grown, all because of one simple eye-opening statement.

Which farmer are you?

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Back to Blogging

Tuesday, November 28th, 2006

After a hiatus that lasted far too long, I’m finally getting back to blogging again. Long story short, I’ve been pretty busy dealing with family (I’ve got a 9-month-old), work (I’ve made some big changes recently), travel (I went to the Dominican Republic in October), and the occasional flutemaking (I just finished a big batch). I will probably touch on all of those items in future posts, but for now, I just wanted to get things rolling again and let you know that despite the rumors, I have not actually vanished from the face of the earth. Stay tuned for more.

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Entering the Fray

Saturday, June 17th, 2006

Inspired by flute player Scott August and flutemaker Geoffrey Ellis, as well as the Northern California Flute Circle, I’m throwing my hat into the blogging fray. Are you wondering what creations are emerging from the piles of wood and sawdust in my workshop? Curious about how flutes get their voice? Want to find out where I’m going to be so you can try out a flute or two? Really can’t wait to get your hands on that CD I’ve been promising to record? If so, this is the place to get the scoop about what’s going on at Village Flutes.

Seriously, when I’m not working on flutes or hanging out with my four-month-old, I basically live online. I work full-time for a software company, so I’m in front of a computer for most of my waking hours each day. Needless to say, I read a lot of blogs to keep up with the news and trends related to my job — and more importantly, my hobbies and interests. When I started Village Flutes, one of the first things I wanted to do was create a blog of my own to pass along information about what I’m doing, what I’m making, and what I’m learning. I’m going to be sharing tips and tricks for flutemaking, playing, and recording that I’ve picked up along the way. Hopefully, somebody somewhere will be interested in what I have to say.

Well, for now, I’m heading back down to take part in my usual Saturday ritual — making sawdust and trying to help a flute find its way out of a piece of wood…

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