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Do any of you sign ladys have relationship problems because of your work? As if it would be okay if you were a nurse or social worker, Or it would be okay if you made a ton of money as long as you acted like sucess was accidental. ? The creative buzz is a big part of having meaning in life for me. Its not something I do just to get money and its more than doing something because I like it. Guys complain about Their work. I dont think I hog conversation or whine but I get occasionally wound up. When I have stress should I just shut up about it?
-------------------- Dawn Drake Signs That Scream Grand Rapids MI Posts: 44 | From: Kentwood Michigan | Registered: May 2006
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I've been a sign gal for 21 years now. I've come to the conclusion that only other signfolks understand the stress of daily life in this field. Linnie is right on! Come here and tell us your troubles. We'll listen without prejudice, advise, and bitch right back! That's what I do. Posts: 8834 | From: Butler, PA, USA | Registered: Jan 2001
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It happens to us guys too. Maybe signgals should date signguys. I tend to envy Bruce and Dana. They seem rock solidly together. Dan and Janis and others too.
I figure the girl(signgirl or not) that builds me up and I do the same for her is the one for me. I'm just waiting to find that chemistry.
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My woman is a sign artist and I couldn't be happier.
She is my number one priority, let me tell ya! I loves her heaps.
As part as the bitching and whining part, you can unload here. We will listen. We may not really care but at least we will act like we do.
What more could you ask for, eh?
-------------------- Bruce Bowers
DrCAS Custom Lettering and Design Saint Cloud, Minnesota
"Things work out best for the people who make the best of the way things work out." - Art Linkletter Posts: 6451 | From: Saint Cloud, Minnesota | Registered: Jun 1999
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Yeah... us sign guys and gals must be a special breed because I feel that the only female that I could live with would be a sign gal.... so far no luck finding one!
(Edited to add)
And it's nothing to do with stress because I think my life is one of the least stressful of anyone I know. It's just that being self-employed I 'binge work' and 'binge play'. When the work is there I work most waking hours to get big projects out in a timely matter but I more than make up for it by long stretches of time off.
Anyone in a 9-5 career simply doesn't jive with my.... err.... 'schedule'. Funny thing is that I feel more secure in my 'job' than anyone I know 'chronically employed'. I used to have a so-called secure/comfortable job in corporate. Way more stress than I have now.
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Janis & I are still very much in love after 32 years married. But the odd time we aren't even each other's favorite people. Janis even says I'm VERY hard to live with at times. And I have to admit that the opposite is also true on occasion.
You have to remember how we feel at any particular moment isn't what love is about. Its a LONG term commitment which survives those rough times.
The secret to a happy marriage is really quite simple... you HAVE TO talk.... communicate. THat means sharing the troubles and good times. If you communicate well the good toimes will outnumber the rough periods by far.
Creative people can be VERY hard to live with at times. Just ask Janis. But I think that is true for most folks alive.
For love to survive we simply have to act in a loving way.
-grampa dan
-------------------- Dan Sawatzky Imagination Corporation Yarrow, British Columbia dan@imaginationcorporation.com http://www.imaginationcorporation.com
Being a grampa is one of the the most wonderful things in the world!!! Posts: 8738 | From: Yarrow, B.C. Canada | Registered: Nov 1998
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hahaha! It's funny you should mention this topic- it was a hot item around this household about 3 or 4 days ago. My husband too owns his own business- and he comes home from work (a mason) physically and mentally dog tired- well not our dog she's a fat lab- but perhaps a Jack Russell tired- I digress
One day by the time he was done whining about his day supper was over and we were moving on. And that happened again the next day-and the next. Last week I was on vacation. Clare was getting the messages off the answering machine as he came home for work for 3 days. He came back up to the cottage on the weekend and he says "There was a message from so and so" I said uh-huh He said "Who's that?" I told him it was a client that I had just finished a series of signs for. "Oh" he said, very disappointed because he had never even known that I had done the series of signs. Then he turns to me and says "You never talk to me about your signs too much anymore" And I told him that was because I couldn't get a whine in edgeways. So we are going to work on that. We've been married for 21 years- and went out for 10 years before that. There are times in the relationship when you have stuff to work on. Relationships are like anything else- doing a sign- learning a new technique-buying new software- weeding the garden-cleaning the house- they all need to be worked on. If you let them fall by the wayside that is exactly what they will do. Fall by the wayside. Or you can work on them until they shine. Sometimes it's one partner that has a stressful day and needs to vent. Other times it's the other. 2 way street. If you don't work on both sides of the street someone is going to get a pothole. I fell into mine, but Clare (eventually) realized it and came to pull me out. Sometimes if the other partner is too busy to come looking for you you can sit in that damn hole a long time. Make sure you have a partner who's going to look around and notice if you fall in. But you have to look around too. Venting is always allowed. Sometimes it can become the main topic of conversation though and that's no good either.
-------------------- Deri Russell Wildwood Signs Hanover, Ontario
You're just jealous 'cause the little voices only talk to me. Posts: 1904 | From: Hanover, Ontario, Canada | Registered: Dec 1998
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Hey Thanks Everyone! With kind of inventing my own thing all the time I start to wonder if I'm crazy. But this forum has helped -sometimes just to laugh about something we've all been through. like "nephew art" that phraise still tickles me
-------------------- Dawn Drake Signs That Scream Grand Rapids MI Posts: 44 | From: Kentwood Michigan | Registered: May 2006
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I don't think you should "shut up about it". Bill and I "sound off" to each other and our sons (who work with us) about the sign related stuff that bothers us, but really, when I think about it, it's usually PEOPLE that are stupid or mean that get us going, versus a situation like a job that goes wrong. A job, I just grit my teeth and fix it...saying "DANG IT!~" under my breath! People can really make me boil for a while...
We have had a tradition for 20+ years that we call "beer-thirty" on Friday nights. Bill's circle of guy friends get together in the neighbor's garage, play cards, drink beer, occasionally smoke cigars, tell jokes and just let it all rip. They can get pretty sarcastic and rip on each other, but really in a friendly, guy way. The girls usually meet at my house, have snackies, drink champagne or wine, and just gripe our little buns off! Sometimes we tell of our rotten, no good, customer who made our day crummy, sometimes we cry with each other over a loss that one of us has had, sometimes we have a joke fest and laugh so hard we have tears rolling down our faces. But the MAIN thing about it is we get it all off our chests!! We are all sworn to secrecy and don't tell others what happen there, but it really helps to have someone that you can lay it all out there for and they can empathize with you. Still, though, you can also come here and let it all hang out anytime...we will listen...and probably someone will have a story to tell about how the same thing happened to them, but worse!
[ July 10, 2006, 03:59 PM: Message edited by: Jane Diaz ]
-------------------- Jane Diaz Diaz Sign Art 628 W. Lincoln Ave. Pontiac, Il. 61764 815-844-7024 www.diazsignart.com Posts: 4102 | From: Pontiac, IL USA | Registered: Feb 1999
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Dawn, I have only been doing this on my own for going on 7 years now, but I am still trying to get my husband to run the plotter so i can do "more creative work".
I want to gild on glass, & have more time to practice striping & all kinds of other things. He told me the other day he just can't sit here at the computer (unless he is truck shopping on E Bay!)
But he does sandblast all the rocks & signs, & he helps lay vinyl. He is also good at stripping vinyl!
-------------------- The Word in Signs Bobbie Rochow Jamestown, PA 16134
724-927-6471
thewordinsigns@alltel.net Posts: 3485 | From: Jamestown, PA 16134 | Registered: Oct 2002
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I dunno... too bad us sign chicks can't get together in person doing the round table thing very often!
That tends to be quite the stress reliever (and informative session, right George??! )
I haven't felt much like a sign chick for the past 5 years though. I miss it, but there's not alot I can do about it. I wish we could go to meets more often, but can't do much about that either.
Geeesh, sometimes life really does get in the way, huh?
-------------------- Dana Ferry St Cloud, MN Posts: 1556 | From: St Cloud, MN | Registered: May 1999
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I don't think I could have a relationship with a fellow sign/graphic designer....bad enough I was always asked "Do I look big in this" question from my former wife...imagine being asked, "What do you think of this layout?" or worse, her critiqueing my work, we men are sensitive creatures when it comes to our sign skills......
-------------------- Rick Chavez Hemet, CA Posts: 1538 | From: Hemet,CA U.S.A. | Registered: Jun 2001
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Jane, I envy your beer-thirty. I used to put in a 6 to 8 hour shift on the pool table at a bar here every Friday night. Wasn't busines-related but I miss looking forward to that, it was such a great stress reliever, the only thing that mattered for those hours was my next shot or next opponent.
I think that's why I like this place & the friends I've made here. Venting to my husband or friends about my business & customers is like playing charades in the dark, they just don't get it.
-------------------- Chris Welker Wildfire Signs Indiana, Pa Posts: 4254 | From: Indiana, PA | Registered: Mar 2001
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Suelynn
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realized it and came to pull me out. Sometimes if the other partner is too busy to come looking for you you can sit in that damn hole a long time. Make sure you have a partner who's going to look around and notice if you fall in. But you have to look around too.
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