I take a tree, and listen to its life story. Following that, I ask it what it wants to be. Then, I release the spirit entombed within the wood. My skills are still aren't quite to par and I do not do justice to the true essence of the wood. However I always include my kids when woodworking and we listen to the stories of the tree together. My eldest has become quite adept at reading the tales hidden beneath the bark of the tree. So I woodwork and place my hope in my kids that they will master the art of communing with the trees and gain the skills necessary to release the essence of the sprits hidden within. If you are interested, you can watch me and my children transform each piece of wood into its new incarnation on my YouTube channel, Carefree Living: <a href="http://www.youtube.com/" target="_blank">http://<a target="_blank" href="http://www.youtube.com/">www.youtube.com/</a> </a> @carefreeliving