There's folks here and in my local life too who would say that the stuff I talk of so passionately doesn't work in the real world and by that I surmise they mean the one they live in. Dreams it seems don't come true there. While I design, build and sell 'cool' stuff they are stuck doing 'ordinary - run of the mill' type work although they claim to wish otherwise.
DISCLAIMER Now I have to cut in here and say if these thoughts don't apply to you or you are perfectly happy with what you currently do or think I'm merely bragging or simply think what I say is full of crap please don't read any further. It will probably upset you and I would hate to wreck anybody's day. It's not my intention to start another 100 post thread where people start being mean to each other because they might not agree with what I say... or perhaps they do agree and want to fight those who do not. This post is merely my opinion and meant to stimulate thinking and friendly discussion.
I have folks say its cool that I get to live my dreams but it absolutely wouldn't work for them. In the sign industry I run into folks all the time who say they wish they could do jobs like we do in our shop or top end, fancy work but they don't think they ever could but instead trudge on through intense competition where they barely make a living and do boring work.
I press them to articulate just what they mean... Do they mean they couldn't sell the type of work we do on a regular basis? Or do they mean they couldn't accomplish that type of work? An affirmative answer to either question brings a more emphatic WHY NOT?
If they happen to possess virtually no artisitc talent or have no desire to learn a wide variety of skills I can understand but many I talk with possess wonderful talent and a desire to learn more... so its time to press on.
Not being able to sell the work like we do isn't an issue nor a good excuse in my books not to do top end work, for I live in beautiful downtown Yarrow (population 1100) and don't sell enough work locally to even put food in my dog's dish. I firmly believe there is a vast market for top quality work which can be sold for a top dollar. We just have to seek it out by doing the type of work NOW which we want to do in the future and in the process build a reputation which will spread far and wide.
Many folks like to think I perhaps possess a rare talent, or maybe am extremely lucky, but I would beg to differ on both counts. I know many people who can draw so much better than I. I know many others who can sculpt so much better too. I'm not the best welder, nor am I very good painter at all. My carpentry skills are particularly bad although after many years of practice I can pound 6 out of 10 nails in without bending them over permanently. Thankfully they make nail guns now which makes it easier to fake carpentry skills.
I dislike plumbing and each time I tackle that type of work it turns into a disaster. I am not mechanically inclined in the least. I don't even change the oil in my lawnmower. I have few computer skills although I am learning slowly. I have only a high school education (barely) and possess no tradesman qualifications. I'm also losing my hair rapidly these last few years... (I just threw that in to see if anyone was paying attention.)
I wasn't born into a rich family... recieved no inheritances and am not likely to anytime soon. I married young and started my career after we had kids paying our way as we went along.
Back when I first started my drawing skills were rudimentary at best but I've practiced some since those days and I am getting better. Back when I started I didn't know how to weld at all, couldn't sculpt, didn't have many skills in fact. I didn't have a shop (until 3.5 years ago) and owned only a few hand tools which were hand-me-downs and weren't very good.
I explain to those I'm talking to what they dream of took me thirty five years to accomplish. (so far) Thirty five years of dreaming, passionately working to make these dreams a reality, thirty five years of practice, study, learning, failures, and successes have taken me to where we are today. After 35 years of trying though we were an instant success.
Now at age 53 I feel good enough to fake it pretty good most days. With the drawing skills I've earned through the years I can put down the ideas which live in my head without too much difficulty. Thirty five years of experience have taught me how to price things, sell them and ultimately build them and get it right most of the time. I still get failures from time to time, but experience has also taught me ways to fix these up so most folks don't notice.
After thirty five years of working hard to establish a reputation, clients who approach me listen to what I have to say... at least sometimes... enough I can make a living at the things which interest me the most.
I possess nothing extraordinary except the passion which has driven me to learn the things I have through the years along with the experience I have picked up along the way.
Whatever your heart's desire it is achievable if you seek it, but only if you are prepared to work hard and be patient until it comes.
With all I've explained above I find it hard to believe that others can not achieve their goals and dreams. I would encourage everyone to try.
Living the dream in Yarrow...
-grampa dan
Posted by Mark Tucker (Member # 6461) on :
I'm hearing ya loud and clear, gramps. I'm a sign maker (by default, hehe), but in my heart of hearts I'd like more than anything to be a syndicated sports cartoonist. I was a published cartoonist years ago and before the age of computers, but when I moved back to Georgia 12 years ago I no longer had a publisher, got busy with other things, and forgot about cartooning. Last year during football season, I finally figured out how to work my scanner.( ) When I did that, I realized that I could draw and publish my cartoons on the sports forums that I frequent, which I did. They were met with applaud, as well as folks saying "Dude, you need to get syndicated and PAID for this!"
My long hibernating dream has awoken, and I think of little else these days. I try to put aside at least one hour every night to draw, even if I don't have an idea for a good cartoon at the time. The competition is stiff as far as talented cartoonist go, but I'm feeling confident that I can eventually bring something different to the table in my own style, and get syndicated.
And if I fail? "Nothing ventured, nothing gained."
I always get something good out of your threads, Dan, even if I sometimes take a different stance in some respects and "yank your chain". You're a good man and I know that!
Pursuing the dream in Gainesville...
Posted by Rodger MacMunn (Member # 4316) on :
There you go Mark - combine what you love to do with what you know how to do, & you'll be the happiest dude around. I'd think that lots of towns, schools, etc., would like their entrance signs with a big cartoon of their beloved "Muskrats" or whatever. We've sold contractors signs with their cartoons on them & boy do they garner attention. You'll not sell many locally, but if you have something different from everyone else, they'll sell. Hate to paint - I'll bet that within 15 miles of you there's a woman sitting at home with a lot of talent who's in dire need of work - full time is out of the question because of family committments, but part time would preserve her sanity & give her a few extra $$ every now & then. I'm in a smaller town than Dan (600),23 miles from the closest traffic light, & I have 2 talented ladies with small children on the payroll.
Posted by Neil D. Butler (Member # 661) on :
What a nice way to start the day! And the sun is shining for the first time in weeks... ahhhh! I'm going to go for a ride on My motorcycle this afternoon.
Posted by Joey Madden (Member # 1192) on :
Life is truly what you make of it no matter where you live and thats a fact
For all those who do not believe, this store may have what's needed
[ May 09, 2007, 09:45 AM: Message edited by: Joey Madden ]
Posted by Curtis hammond (Member # 2170) on :
Joey, The problem is,,,
Sometimes, along with a lifetime of building,, the store is blown away too.. Makes for an interesting life.
Posted by E. Balch (Member # 3545) on :
35 years to be an instant success! You mean if I work hard, I could be as good as Dan when I'm 90?
I don't think I'll make it!
ernie
Posted by Guy H. J. Hilliard (Member # 2529) on :
Ernie;
If you work hard, study, and practice you can be as good as Dan AT WHAT YOU DO. And it probably will not take another 35 years to get there either, assuming you have been doing something with the previous 55 years of your life.
I was reading a book about "Artists in Wood" and one of the artists said that the comment made by people that annoyed him the most was "I'd love to do what you do", his reply was "Did your grandfather have red hair? 'Cause if he didn't you can't do what I do. But you can do your own thing and do that as well, or better, than I can".
I guess what I'm trying to say is that you will never be better than Dan (or anyone else) if your goal is to emulate them, but if you find your own thing, pursue the development of your skill, style, and passion, you can be a better Ernie than Dan could ever be.
Please understand that I have used Ernie's name in a generic sense and I am not ragging at him specifically. Thnx
And thank you Dan. I find your posts inspiring to do what I do to the best of my ability and to stretch my skills to become what I want to be.
Posted by Dan Sawatzky (Member # 88) on :
I'm with you 100 % in what you say Guy.
-grampa dan
Posted by Raymond Chapman (Member # 361) on :
For years I tried my best to do signs just like Gary Anderson, Noel Weber, Mike Jackson, Nancy/Noella...and a whole list of others that I admired. They just never were as good as the ones done by those guys (and gals). At some point I decided to do my designs the way I thought they looked best.
Sawatzky is great at what he does. But, I have no desire to build trains and planes and dragons. That doesn't diminish my admiration of Dan one bit...it's just not what I want to do.
Admiration does not have to lead to imitation.
My goal is to be the best I can be at what I enjoy and what works for me. Dan and I are friends, but he doesn't want to do the type of designs that appeal to me and I certainly don't want the challenges that he puts on himself.
There is a wide range of talents and abilities on this forum, and no two are alike. It would be a wierd world indeed if we were all Dans. There are some who seem to be on the opposite end of the pendulum swing than Sawatzky, but it doesn't mean that Dan is 100% correct and others are 100% wrong - they just have different goals.
For example, Mark Tucker and I have corresponded my email and I consider our relationship as friendly, but his business is different than mine (not bad, just different). Some of us have trouble understanding Dan's philosophy, but it works for him. Mark's philosophy also works for him, although different than Grandpa's. I believe that Mark is trying to be the best at what he wants to be.
The rub comes when we try to make other folks think the way we do and somehow think that they cannot be right until they do.
Dan and I spend some time on the phone together. My impression is that his passion is greater than mine (and just aboout anyone else), but he takes criticism as something that might be needed to keep him on the right track. I've told him that my main job is to keep him humble.
I have no idea what all this means, but it just seems to me that we can't all be equal in goals or abilities, but we can all share a passion for what we do. Let's just don't hit other folks over the head in the process.
Posted by Dan Sawatzky (Member # 88) on :
Back when I first started doing historical murals in the mid 80's I got to paint alongside some awesome artists whom I admired greatly. They painted their murals seemingly without effort, while I struggled to get mine right.
Their style was painterly and using broad strokes of color they achieved stunning works of art which for me were simply not possible. I took careful note of how they did certain things and tried to work that into my painting, but I just couldn't make it work no matter how hard I tried. It didn't work for me to try and be them.
On one of my next mural projects as I was designing my mural I decided to do things in a style I was comfortable with... for I could draw with pen and ink with ease on a small scale. When I approached the wall I just enlarged my work and did things a little backwards... at least compared to the way everyone else did it. I laid on blobs of color doing the foundation for what was to follow. Then using a 1/4" brush I didd large scale pen and ink linework... the wiggly line technique was born in that instant by being true to what I knew, what I was comfortable with.
By following my own heart, being true to what I knew best I did my very best. In the process I was successful.
No matter what our medium, no matter what our passion we need to march to our very own drummer.
As Ray so eloquently points out above what we have in common is our passion for the things we do in our very own way.
Following my own dream in Yarrow while encouraging others to follow theirs where they are...
![[Smile]](smile.gif)
![[Frown]](frown.gif)
) When I did that, I realized that I could draw and publish my cartoons on the sports forums that I frequent, which I did. They were met with applaud, as well as folks saying "Dude, you need to get syndicated and PAID for this!"