I like the asymmetrical design idea...had never thought about doing that. As for the wood cracking, you - and I'm sure many others here on the forum - guessed it. I'm fairly new to woodworking so I didn't contemplate the possibility of it cracking. Fortunately, the piece only cracked on the top "bulb", so I'm considering taking that off and leaving the remainder intact.

How would you avoid that in the future, let the wood dry thoroughly before working it?