Project:  Design a shelf.  Use 1/4" steel rod and wood.  Build it.
What do you do when you're given virtually no direction? 
I went to the symphony.

Among the instruments spread across the stage, the upright bass had a persisting impact on me both auditorially and visually.  It looked as if it were a battle for the tiny muscians just to coax it into it's submissive deep notes.  My goal became to let the upright bass inspire me.  I let the materials suggest the form and focused on simple joinery and learning to weld.

Standing seven feet tall and exactly maintaining the proportions of the original instrument, the final product has a profound presence.