“It’s just the process.”

“It’s just the process” is a collection of small hand-carved wood sculptures from 2018, exploring the creation and presentation of artwork amidst the creative process. Nothing is discarded. Shavings from each piece are neatly kept and displayed in small bowls, while chunks of raw wood hint at the pieces' origins. An honest hand reaches out—do you wish to be consumed by the power and grace of the process or not?

What does it take to understand your creative process? Dedication? Strength? Time? Loss? The incremental steps to create a work of art are often overlooked as simply means to create the final product, as it is this final product that the viewer will undoubtedly critique and interact with.

There is nothing inherently wrong with this method of creation; nonetheless, it is important for the artist to maintain a level of control and respect toward this process, for it is sacred. Without it, the work is nothing, and nothing is the knowledge cultivated from the creation.

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I discovered the inner workings of my process through a friend who was still mastering his. To him, the process was everything—even more than the final product, as that was merely an artifact of the real piece: the process. When questioned about his unorthodox techniques or methods, he almost always responded,

“It’s just the process.”

And it was. To him, it was a ritual that was played out with the utmost respect and care. Everything had a purpose. Everything had a meaning, leaving only the question of whether he would reveal those mysteries to us or not.

Seeing firsthand his process dozens of times became a common spectacle for me. Unknowingly, I was absorbing each and every bit of knowledge he chose to share. It wasn’t until we lost him that I realized to what degree he had influenced each and every piece of art I had created since our long conversations. I will forever hold this sanctified process as close to me as he did.

“It’s just the process” is dedicated to David Lu, December 14th, 1995 - October 28th, 2018.