Frustrated with your progress?

[sethile]

My wife, Kathy came up with this wonderful and inspiring quote. I find it a perfect fit for what I have experienced as an aspiring pipe maker.

“What nobody tells people who are beginners — and I really wish someone had told this to me . . . is that all of us who do creative work, we get into it because we have good taste. But there is this gap. For the first couple years you make stuff, and it’s just not that good. It’s trying to be good, it has potential, but it’s not. But your taste, the thing that got you into the game, is still killer. And your taste is why your work disappoints you. A lot of people never get past this phase. They quit. Most people I know who do interesting, creative work went through years of this. We know our work doesn’t have this special thing that we want it to have. We all go through this. And if you are just starting out or you are still in this phase, you gotta know it’s normal and the most important thing you can do is do a lot of work. Put yourself on a deadline so that every week you will finish one story. It is only by going through a volume of work that you will close that gap, and your work will be as good as your ambitions. And I took longer to figure out how to do this than anyone I’ve ever met. It’s gonna take awhile. It’s normal to take awhile. You’ve just gotta fight your way through.”

To see the quote in context: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BI23U7U2aUY (Yes it says "On Storytelling, Part 3" but whatever the other parts were about, Part 3 is about the above quote.) It's very reassuring.

[Sawdust]

Encouraging advise! Thanks.

Jim

[Boekweg]

Thank you.

It always helps to have encouragement!

[baweaverpipes]

Scott,
That was so dumb that, while in Chicago, I'm going to put tooth marks on all your stems.
Of course, I'll blame it all on eRemarkable.

See 'ya in a couple of days!!!

[sethile]

Scott,
That was so dumb that, while in Chicago, I'm going to put tooth marks on all your stems.
Of course, I'll blame it all on eRemarkable.

See 'ya in a couple of days!!!

Teeth marks will blend in nicely with the sanding scratches I normally leave And when I tell folks they're authentic Hillbilly from your hand carved wooden dentures I'm sure they'll fly off the table!

Can't wait to get up there tomorrow night!

[hawky454]

Thats very nice to hear. Thank you for posting that! It's very easy to get discouraged along the way. That goes for anything that takes skill. It wouldn't be special if it wasn't hard to do. I've only been making pipes for about 4 months now and I have had my ups and downs, sometimes I feel like i'm in a rut. It's hard when you make a few pipes you are proud of from the start and then you make a few more that turn out worse than your first few pipes. The great thing to keep in mind is, you are still learning with every pipe you make even if it's an ugly one. Keep on keeping on! It's kind of like learning to play the guitar (or any instrument for that matter.) Very hard at first, but you develop muscle memory and it becomes second nature. I believe the masters of pipe crafting have that muscle memory when it comes to shaping and fine tuning. You keep learning with each baby step you take and then one day it just happens.....you say, "I'm getting good at this!" you'll be glad you stuck it out through the hard times. Of course, you're gonna have a rookie come in and make amazing pipes from day one, but don't ever try to compare yourself to others. We all learn at different paces. Also, don't ever let ANYONE bring you down!

[Alan L]

That's such a great quote I'm gonna steal it and put it on a site I moderate. It'll do those guys as much good as it does those here. Thanks!

[Mike Messer]

It may take years to get good, forever, even, for some people, but I also have seen some people, some who are members of this forum, even, who have jumped up in practically no time to produce phenominal works, and I think there are several factors involved.

1. The undefinable talent factor.
2. Prior experience and skill development.
3. Money to obtain materials and equipment.
4. Methodology and just plain savy.

No doubt there are some refined skills required to make pipes, like being able to drill a hole dead-center and on the center line, not as easy as it sounds, unless you have a background in machining or other specialized crafts, which a lot of us do. There are developed, specialized tools and materials which are helpful for excellent pipemaking, also.
This forum and other pipemakers web sites can be very helpful, and however much patience you can muster.

[Charl]

Wonderful quote! Thanks for sharing

[Mike Messer]

From an eastern religion, I forget which one, about enlightenment, but similar in theory...
"At some stages you will experience a plateau---as if everything has stopped. This is a hard point in the journey. Know that once the process has started, it doesn't stop. It only appears to stop from where you are looking. Just keep going. It doesn't really matter whether you think, "it's happening" or not. In fact, the thought, "it's happening," is just another obstacle."

What I've seen in creative work...In the worse case, discouragement is like writers block. It's imposible to continue, and so you give up, temporarily, and at that point, exactly, you are able to make progress, again. You don't get it. It gets you.

[Charl]

Been thinking a lot about this post of yours today, Scott. I actually can't remember when the last time was that I was more or less (only that!) satisfied with a pipe. Its never the way it should be and always seem mediocre. I'm at the stage where I need to get help, I think, from big guns (or even an airgun!). Which unfortunately is a bit difficult down here at the southernmost part of Africa.
So please guys, if you're able to visit a pipemaker, do so! You will most definitely get to a stage where you need more than just yourself and a computer!
Thanks for sharing, Scott!

[e Markle]

Scott,
That was so dumb that, while in Chicago, I'm going to put tooth marks on all your stems.
Of course, I'll blame it all on eRemarkable.

See 'ya in a couple of days!!!

I realize this is about a month too late, but HOW DARE YOU!?!?