I recently learned about additive and subtractive manufacturing. Well, I learned that they exist. Additive manufacturing is when you create something by putting material together – adding. Subtractive manufacturing, on the other hand, is when things are create through a process of removal – subtraction. Like anything, each has its advantageous and disadvantageous. I’m curious to know if they can serve as analogies for life.
3D printing is a good example of additive manufacturing because you create objects through successive layers of filament. The printer starts at the bottom and works its way up. Building LEGO is another way to think of additive manufacturing.
An example of subtractive manufacturing might be wood turning. You start with a block of wood and remove material in order to create the final object. Rock sculpting is similar, except the stone is turning at high speed.
I do both.
Lately, life has felt busy, too busy. Busier than I would like. School is kicking my ass this year. Keeping up with my workload is proving to be a real challenge. Worse still, it just seems to keep coming at me. My home life is wonderful, of course, but there are things to do like feeding the cats and throwing out the garbage. Most of what keeps me busy outside of school are things that I’ve chosen to do. Trying to keep at my woodworking, planting seeds in our small garden, designing and 3D printing this, and keeping up with this blog are just a few of the things that I’ve been busying myself with.
Sometimes, it feels like you need to add more to your life to improve it. There are times when it feels like you have enough time to do what interests you. So you take more on, start piling it up, and eventually put it on a shelf. Your life feels purposeful because you are layering more on, thereby creating something of substance and value.
There are other times when it feels like there is too much going on and the best way to improve your life is by removing things. It isn’t always things that we need to get rid of, however. Of course, there’s likely too much stuff taking up space, in the physical sense, but there might also be too much “non-stuff” that’s filling up valuable time and space, in a more intangible sense.
I’ve been finding myself spending a lot of time looking around, thinking about what I can get rid of. My attachment to material things holds me back from actually listing anything on Facebook Marketplace. When I’m away from my things and still feel busy, I start thinking about what I can change – remove – from my life to make things feel lighter and more manageable.
It’s a good problem to have, just like how I have a nice 3D printer, a workshop of my own, and bins full of LEGO. It all serves a purpose, but I’m not sure for how long.
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