The work of renewal
There’s something about the weight of a well-used tool in your hand that speaks across generations.
This Easter weekend, I retreated to my wood studio, to do some carpentry and some art. I used the set of chisels given to me by my Grandfather—Swiss-made, razor sharp, and lovingly cared for. He had saved up to buy that set, and kept them in an old fishing tackle box. A box I now own.
I also used a wooden mallet that Grandpa made himself, from timber cut from his own land. Turned by hand, shaped with care, and a handle that had been smoothed by years of use.
These tools are more than objects. They are memory, legacy, and intention—all carved into form.
‘Memory, legacy, and intention’
Building the Space to Create
My project? A new work station for my studio: a dust collection and carving bench. A simple construction, yet something about the process of shaping space for creation was deeply renewing.
‘The space to create’
‘Chambers of Insight”
In that space, I carved two pieces. Each one a meditation on identity, growth, and transformation.
The first was a stylised spiral, reminesent of a nautilus shell—spirals speak to me of evolution and emergence. And the nautilus is an ancient animal that represents this to me. It grows outward, chamber by chamber, never discarding the old, but building upon it.
It’s a symbol of both consistency and change. For me, it reflects the work of inner development: how we grow as leaders, as humans—not by abandoning who we've been, but by expanding who we are. Each season adding to the whole. Each challenge carving a new chamber of insight for our path.
From Discarded to Beautiful: The Oak Spoons
‘Worn, weathered, and wonderful’
The second piece I worked on began with something that was destined for the tip: an old oak dresser, worn and weathered, forgotten. But in its bones was beautiful wood, rich and strong. I reclaimed a section and began carving—a set of salad spoons.
They’re still in progress, but they’re taking shape: oak leaves forming the bowl of the spoons, a branch for the handle, and eventually, acorns for the pommels.
There's something powerful about seeing not what a thing is, but what it could become. It’s what artists do—and it’s what we do when we lead. When we coach. When we grow. We look beyond the surface. We sense the potential. We bring shape to the unseen.
‘Becoming who we are’
Insight, Growth, and the Inner Work
As I carved, I thought about the parallels to the work I do through Insightful Path. In leadership development, much of our deepest progress isn’t about learning something new—it’s about unlearning. It’s about seeing more clearly. About reclaiming what is already within us and allowing it to take form.
This is the hard work of renewal. It asks us to slow down. To feel. To shape and be shaped.
James - Founder of Insightful Path
As I sanded and carved this weekend, I felt a quiet clarity come through. I remembered why I do this work. I remembered that real change is not flashy. It’s not overnight. It’s made with steady hands, with vision, and with the courage to see ourselves—fully.
May this reflection invite you to return to your own creative spaces. To pick up your tools—whether physical or metaphorical—and begin shaping. Renewing. Becoming.
Because the truth is: you already are everything you need. You’re simply building the next chamber of your own spiral.
If this resonates, I invite you to stay connected. You can follow the ongoing journey on LinkedIn or Facebook, or reach out to explore what coaching through Insightful Path could look like for you.
