I WORK OUT OF MY HOME. HOUSE IS BEGINNING TO RESEMBLE A CHAOTIC SHOP!. NOBODY BUT ME,(SPOUSE HATES ANY AND ALL REFERENCES TO SIGNWORK,WANTS ME TO GET A "REAL JOB") SIGNS ARE MY PASSION, BUT I GET EITHER TOO MUCH WORK OR NOT ENOUGH.SCRATCHING TO GET BY AS I LEARN. HOPE IS FADING FAST. I GUESS I MUST EITHER FIND A BORING JOB THAT I HATE OR NEW SPOUSE. WHAT DO I DO? I NEED SOMEONE'S HONEST OPINION. I AM WELL KNOWN AND GET MOST OF MY WORK THROUGH WORD OF MOUTH AND REPEAT CLIENTS, SO I MUST BE DOING SOMETHING RIGHT...?RIGHT?
I'M NOT STRESSED, JUST TERRIBLY, TERRIBLY ALERT!
[ June 27, 2002, 11:49 AM: Message edited by: SHELLY PENNINGTON ]
Posted by John Lennig (Member # 2455) on :
Shelly, your situation sounds frustrating and painful, for both your partner and you. Not having the support from your partner can be so negative in all that you do.
I'm no counsellor(signpainter, in fact) but sounds like it may be a case of "I'm doin' a job i don't like/no passion in my work, why can't you just do the same." He can't see the positive effects that your passionate work has on you. Imagine if he was as stoked as you are on his work.(course this theory is all bunk if he loves his work!!!)
Anyway, I hope you can resolve this dilemma eventually.
If your house is to much "shop", see what you can do to "even things out" Partners suggestions/help would be great in this area, too.
Take care of yourself.
by the way, if you had posted on the Pinhead/Letterhead portion of the Bullboard, you'd have BILLIONS AND BILLIONS of opinions.... as it's meant to be.
John Lennig / BIG TOP Graphics
Posted by ScooterX (Member # 2023) on :
well i'm not a counsellor, but here's my impression. You need some give and take in any relationship -- so you need to "give" by getting your work out of the house.
having sign stuff all over the house isn't professional or attractive, so you spouse has a right to complain.
however, its your vocation, so you have a right to expect a little love and understanding from your spouse. maybe you need to treat your business a bit more like a business and then your spouse will be able to recognize it as a "real job" and not just some "hobby" that took over the kitchen table.
hope that helps a bit. Posted by Jill Grininger (Member # 2956) on :
Shelly, When I first started sign making I was in a boring job that I hated. I continued doing the boring job until I felt confident that my sign work could exceed the money that I was making from the boring job. I knew I wanted to do signs fulltime but I couldn't put my family in financial jeopardy. However, doing both jobs equaled working weekends, long days and into the night sometimes. I was lucky though...my husband was very supportive and encouraged me along the way. I attribute his support to getting me to where I wanted to be a lot quicker than if I was doing it on my own. I'm sure you've had a heart-to-heart with him about how you feel but do it again. It sounds like there is room for compromise on both halves.
I can totally relate to the house becoming shop issue. At the time we lived in a very small house and every room ended up having sign-making stuff somewhere in it. It was frustrating because of the fact that it was so unorganized. I ended up buying an old mobile home....I mean really old....really ugly. But I parked it along side my house and turned it into a shop. It was perfect...all my supplies in one place. It changed everything for me. Plus it was nice having the house back for my family.
I hope this helps a tad. Hang in there. We'll be pulling for you.
Jill
Posted by Pat Foley (Member # 2683) on :
Hi! How sad. We really do need our loved ones support in all we do. You just reminded me how very blessed I am. If you give up your passion, you will build resentment and that is truly a good way to destroy your relationship. If you don't find a rememdy though, your mate is building resentment. That idea of a shop outside the house, but not a store front type shop, sounds like the way to go. Sometimes those old trailers are even free if not really cheap! If you can't do that, is there a place in your home that can be designated as the sign place, and then put out the extra effort to keep all the sign stuff in the sign place?
To increase your business you just might advertise and/or contact a local store front and see if they'd be interested in marketing your work and you sell to them wholesale.
My heart goes out to you as it sounds like you're really in one of those loose-loose situations.
Do let us know what you decide to do, huh?
Best to you....
Posted by Roel Guevara (Member # 3089) on :
well shelly Here My Honest 2 cents worth I can relate to your situation in some matter I've been in the sign biz. for about 16 yrs and two years ago I decided to start my own thing I too work out of my home I've gone so far as taking over 3 rooms in my 3000 sq.ft home and still growing but not till I hired a close friend of the family (that I could trust with my money)to get my books straight I saw ho much money I was wasting this year alone I or we me and my other partner have wasted over 45 grand on nothing we have nothing to show for it by the middle of July we should have our book straight and then I might start looking for a building of some sort you have to ask yourself.
1.am I doing this to have a business or just as a hobbies?
2. how much money am I wasting on nothing?
I stop working for other sign shop Because I realized that when there children are going to Ivy school collage my own will be at our local community collage so technically I made someone else rich on my talent also I did it for my kids think about it 8-10 hours a day your away from you children work, drive time etc.. and your kid are growing up you miss all there first years of life and the time we try to spend with them we are still wound up from work ,tired, frustrated so they aren't the only one losing that time we steal it from our self too as for our partners in life they have to also understand its a team effort not only one can play the game communication is a big part of it get your partner involved as for opinion on layout have help you make sign share your experiences with your partner show her the do & Don'ts even if she/he doesn't have time make a schedule start 30 min or 1 hour to show them about the biz and in return you do something they want or need help on my self I cook weekends I help washing dishes I even take my kids on jobsite to give her some time I even watch stuff I have no interest watching to see how her mind thinks and I learned that its not the task its just the time we spend together that matters and I learn new stuff so it all work our in the end I think you need to have an area or room that's only for your business nothing else now for sign as a passion totally Kat I am the same I'm a nerd when it come to signs its not just a job its a skill everything I do I put 150% in it I take vinyl to the extremes bra so I know where you coming from so hope this help Good Luck Roel Guevara A.B.A. Signs& Designs
Posted by Santo (Member # 411) on :
Get it out of the house, even if you have to get a portable building for the back yard. Your spouse also has to feel like you are in a real business. You may be looking at it from 1 side only. Is he in theat boring job and has to come home and look at a sign shop mess in his home? If so, spouse has a valid point in being upset.
Posted by Michael Clanton (Member # 2419) on :
ditto on getting it out of the house! I started working from the house Jan 2000, by June I had a portable building. I still had all my office and all kinds of crap all thru the house up until Feb. of this year! Lots of friction. Not only will this help your spouse, it will allow you to have your house back. When I go to my house, I don't have to wade thru all the work, I leave it at WORK!
Posted by Chris Wildy (Member # 3173) on :
Here's my 2 cents, considering I have a somewhat similar situation. I started very small, not even taking one room, then kept moving it into larger rooms (and an RV), now I'm in the basement (finished and professional looking as possible). Considering I've been doing this only a year and a half, most of my family feels I don't work for a living, even if I make more money than them, and spend more man hours on it that they do at thier jobs. My girl-friend is a "professional" graphic artist, and doesn't have much respect for what I do either, but I make as much as her, make my own hours, and my equipment totals for less than her college. I guess my point is, you need to do what makes you happy, the RV is a valid idea (mines for sale), though if you can simply keep it in one room/garage/basement/shed, they shouldn't be able to complain too much. You're never going to win everyone's respect for your work, as long as you are happy doing it, and can keep it out of thier way as much as possible, it should become a non-issue. I know this comes a little late, but good luck, Chris
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