Someone made the comment to me the other day that they 'could never be as good as me at what I do!" It made me sad. It wasn't the first time I had heard such a comment, in fact I've heard it often over the years.
This person wasn't that old. And they had great talent in my view - not unike many of the others I have heard the same comment from.
It made me wonder why they would say such a thing.
I have many heroes I look up to... even hold in awe. Most of them are artists who are very talented and skilled. Most are far better at their particular skill than I. I look at what they do and hope fervently that I can someday be as good as them. In fact, I don't doubt for a minute it won't be so. Its not a matter of vanity on my part. If I pay the price it can be so. And I am not talking about money, for it can't be bought.
Let's take one of my heroes as an example. He does many, many things well, but I'll just choose one for now. He hand letters extremely well... to the point of being a master. I'm talking about Raymond Chapman of course.
Instead of simply saying I could never be as good as him, I would instead learn all I could about him. Knowing Raymond, I know he is approachable, and would happily share his knowlege with me. I hear he is even putting out a video soon.
It wouldn't take much to get ahold of back isses of the trade magazines to read up on his many articles on hand lettering. I know he gives seminars at various trade shows where his knowlege is freely given. He attends letterhead meets on occasion where he also shares his skills to those who want to learn.
He has many friends in the business who he has learned from through the years, who I know would be happy to share what they could about this same topic. And I know Raymond would direct me to other reference material, such as Mike Steven's book about layout.
To become as good at lettering as Raymond I would read every back issue of the trade magazines I could lay my hands on. I would surmise that the further back I went, the more information I would find.
And one of the first things Raymond would tell me is how I need to put in some serious time actually practicing with a brush. I'm sure he would recommend a source for some good brushes.
I would bet, that given the same amount of hours and indeed years invested in practice and by demonsrating the same passion for lettering as Raymond, I could be just as good as him. Like most folks here could too.
But how many of us are willing to pay that price?
We often simply give up too easy and in the process sell ourselves short.
-grampa dan
Posted by Russ McMullin (Member # 5617) on :
Dan, it's always good to read your words of inspiration and encouragement.
Posted by Jay Allen (Member # 195) on :
Give me an A-M-E-N!!
Well said Dan. The thing most people lack is courage - for fear of failure.
Myself included every now and then - and probably with you also. But if you live by these words, you have nothing to lose . . .
Fall down Seven times, stand up eight.
Being smarter and more talented took lots of failures to get there. After that, courage comes easy.
Posted by Dale Kerr (Member # 4661) on :
I come from a different school of thought that sometimes can become dangerous... I believe if someone else can build, create, repair, then so can I. Yes it may take me longer, I will definatley not be as fluent, or whimsical when I do it. I will get frustrated along the way, But I will accomplish it. and for that I will be even more knowledgable, as every error I make allows an opportunity, to not If I am aware, make thae mistake again.
Posted by Dale Kerr (Member # 4661) on :
Mostly I am just to foolish to say "sorrymr. customer, I can not do that" Doh!
Posted by Mark Yearwood (Member # 2723) on :
I heard a saying one time that stuck with me.
"Great things are possible when preparation meets opportunity."
Do your homework and when the right opportunity comes along, go for it and don't look back.
Posted by Dan Antonelli (Member # 86) on :
Dan -
You ask how many are willing to price. Look around at what's out there. THe answer should be obvious. Very few indeed.
Greatness require focus, education and passion. Few possess one of those traits, let alone, all three.
Ray, of course, is solely in a class by himself. Not simply because he possesses all three, but because he also gives back. Most people don't understand how giving back also comes back to you 10 fold.
I'm also fortunate enough to call Ray a dear friend and mentor - one whom I continue to look for inspiration and guidance.
Align yourself with people you admire, and look up to, and it can't help but rub off on you.
If Ray had a real computer, he'd even be more talented. Now that WOULD be real scary....
Posted by Ian Stewart-Koster (Member # 3500) on :
Good allegory, Dan!
I won't let our kids say the word 'never' in that context, since once said, it means that they will never even try to overcome the 'obstacle' .
I tend to be with Dale- if it can be done by someone, I'm prepared to try, & to try & excel- brain surgery & dentistry excluded!
edit to add- there's a favourite saying of mine "often, by being thought of as better than you actually are, you become better than you were"
and "to learn to do something better, try teaching it!"
[ November 22, 2005, 06:28 PM: Message edited by: Ian Stewart-Koster ]
Posted by Kelly Thorson (Member # 2958) on :
Good answer Dan A! Any idea where I can find some focus. Focus could make me dangerous...... Posted by Bob Stephens (Member # 858) on :
The answer is simple. Most people are lazy and want everything to come easy with no effort. I doubt they really believe they can't accomplish these goals. It's just easier to say they can't than to learn new things. Human nature, you are what you want to be and most are willing to settle for less. Not me.
Posted by Ryan Long (Member # 5881) on :
I'm gonna go practice free throws in the driveway -- I never knew that hard work could make me the next Michael Jordan!
Jokes aside, of course hard work can take you a long way, but there is such a thing as natural talent and there are things that can't really be taught. Hard work would never make me sing like Paul McCartney or throw a football like Peyton Manning -- even if I somehow could manage to match their level of passion and invest the amount of time that they have, it still probably wouldn't happen.
Not that I'm knocking hard work, or saying that it can't take you very, very far towards emulating your heroes...just that if one picks a certain hero and tries to be just as good as them, it might not be possible because, well, they AREN'T them.
Even if you have a hero, there's no need to compare your work to theirs, hoping you will measure up in every way. There might even be things that you can do better than your heroes can. Doing the best you can and always striving to improve -- it's hard to come up with a better strategy than that!
Posted by Raymond Chapman (Member # 361) on :
Well, now what can I say? I saw this post yesterday morning but Mike and I have been working out of town for the past two days and didn't have the time to comment until now.
First of all, thanks to Dan for all the nice words about me. Those same comments can be directed back at him and to numerous others whom I admire and stand in awe of what they do. We are all very good at something - it just varies from person to person.
Over the years I've tried to put a definition to the word "Passion"...even wrote an article about it some time ago. It's hard to explain.
Like some others have said, it's more than just hard work. What you get from hard work is tired, but passion drives us so that whatever energy is expended is not work but the "drive" to improve. I tell my classes that I've never had to work a day in my life. When you are doing what you love, it's not work.
Hard work will never make me a great athlete. While in high school I was the smallest guy on our football team, but I worked hard at being the best I could be. That still didn't make a lot of difference when I was running up against a 200 pound defensive lineman. Experience taught me how to take some natural quickness and speed and avoid those guys, but it never made me NFL material.
Then in college I discovered gymnastics. You didn't have to be very big to excell if you were willing to put in the time to practice, to get sore muscles, and to have blisters on your hands most of the time. My size was an advantage but it still took a lot of sweat to achieve what I wanted to be. Still, there were those who were much better than me. You never saw me compete at the Olympics, did you? Could have I been there? I think so, if I had had the passion to spend years and years in practice and competition. Actually I started about ten years too late.
In our business I believe the ingredient needed to go along with the passion is the ability to "see" - not just look at something, but to really "see" it. Great artists study light and shadow...and so do we, just in a different way. Do you know anyone who can't tell if a picture or sign is level or not? Those that don't have not developed the ability to "see".
Dan has swelled my head up something terrible, but all I have to do is look through some web sites, go back and review some photos and talk to some sign friends around the country and my ego is deflated rather quickly.
But what he has said about learning and sharing is valid. Beginning with my pre-teen years I have tried to absorb all I could about lettering, design, and the sign business in general. My early attempts were less than masterpieces, so any "talent" that was there then did not show itself. What was present, I believe, was the desire to learn and the willingness to put in the effort that it took to learn. That is what I believe is the God-given element. Some folks follow it into mechanics, some in electronics, others into cooking or carpentry....or you add whatever.
A vital part of receiving is giving. I firmly believe that if you give without strings attached or expectation of return, you will receive much more than it cost you to give. Most of those who took their secrets to the grave did not have that much to begin with.
The most passionate people I know are great givers. You just like to be around them. Whenever I have a down day, all I have to do is give Gary Anderson (or a number of other folks) a call and they lift my spirits, because they are positive thinking people. You just ask a question and they open their brain and pour out whatever you need. They have no fear of you "stealing" information because they know they got it from someone else or from some experience that they are willing to share.
We naturally become whatever we think about the most. Either positive or negative.
There are times that I run off the road looking at signs. I can spend hours just looking through a font catalog. Now, to the landscaper that is just foolishness, but he does the same thing when he passes a really nice landscaped yard. Even though we are in different areas of work, both are driven by a passion that engages our time and effort and appreciation of something done well by others.
The sad part is that so few people have a passion for anything. Their day is spent in expectation of the quiting whistle, or Friday, or vacation, or retirement....or whatever is in the future rather than what is in the present.
Passion makes hard work easy. It makes the day go faster. When you come to end of the day it makes sleep very restful. And when you come to the end of a life it makes it all worthwhile.
Posted by Dan Sawatzky (Member # 88) on :
I agree with you to a point Ryan. I'll never be a world class singer, or a world class athlete.
I think there has to be a certain amount of talent to do most things at a world class level.
We are all drawn to things we have an aptitude for. Its the way we are built. WHat I am saying above is that talent alone won't get you very far... except for perhaps a few real lucky ones. And I don't know any of those type people.
PASSION and hard work are what make the bulk of world class people rise to the top. Endless hours of practice and dogged determination are the hallmarks of most folks who rise to the top of their particular game.
The top players push on much past where the rest take a break.
Within reason, I FIRMLY BELIEVE you can be exactly what you decide you want to be -f you pay the price.
Anything else is a cop out.
-grampa dan
Posted by Ryan Long (Member # 5881) on :
quote:Originally posted by Dan Sawatzky: WHat I am saying above is that talent alone won't get you very far... except for perhaps a few real lucky ones. And I don't know any of those type people.
I'll agree with that. Regardless of talent level, only your own hard work and determination can truly make you the best you can be -- and by definition, you can't get any better than that! Posted by Dan Sawatzky (Member # 88) on :
Being the very best you can be is a daily achievement and benchmark... the ones who excell are DAILY doing more than they did yesterday... that's the key.
Most folks are content to sit(or work at a level) where they are comfortable and in doing so miss out on what they might be or achieve.
I think many people are miserable on account of it too. Even so we all need to take risks at a level we are comfortable with... and live with the results too.
People who excel are are generally not happy with the status quo in their lives.
-grampa dan
Posted by Raymond Chapman (Member # 361) on :
Last night I was watching a PBS show about Bluegrass music and Dan's post about passion kept popping into my head. These were folks that slept and ate Bluegrass. I doubt that any are extremely wealthy, but it was evident that they loved what they were doing.
Years ago I remember hearing that the great Chet Atkins practiced playing the guitar anywhere from four to eight hours a day....and this was after he had "made it" and was President of a record company (RCA, I think).
Thinking back, some of my most miserable times were those in which I was just coasting. While working for someone else, one of the most common comments I heard was, "Don't spend a lot of time on this, we aren't getting much for it". I would try to do something creative, but my heart was never fully into what I was doing. That is one of the reasons I opened my own business.
It would be nice to play some musical instrument, but I am just not willing or motivated enough to spend the time and energy it would take to proceed. Those Bluegrass folks simply couldn't understand that, but they would look at me rather strangely if I began to bubble over about signs and handlettering and carving and glue chipping glass.
At one time around junior high age I had dreams of becoming an architect. Then I found out how many years of education it took and all that was involved just getting ready for that education. I was not willing to expend that much time and effort. If that had been my PASSION, today I would be an architect.
Dan's right. You can be just about anything you want to be (within physical limits) if you are willing to pay the price. Looking back over my life I could kick myself for not putting forth more time and effort than I did. A lot of time is wasted just waiting for "the right time". I guess Nike is right - just do it.
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