posted
"I don't like this house, Mom. It's too funky."
Those are the type of words I frequently hear from my 11 yr old son. While to me they signify the highest compliment in a round about way and make me smile, I'll be honest. If I was met with that kind of enthusiasm for everything I did, I wouldn't be very inspired to push on. No matter how good my work really was.
When I had a spouse, he was actually very good at encouraging me. While he didn't know my game, he'd be floored all the same when I'd accomplish something he didn't know I could do. That in itself was a great motivator for enticing me to dig abit deeper in whatever I was doing.
Being on my own now for the past few years indeed has made an impact on how motivated I've been. Obviously, if one loves what they do, it's the passion of the process in itself that will help to motivate you to keep going.
HOWEVER.. I find an enormous amount of motivation I feel comes from others around me. And when it's silent, I start to question if I'm doing something right, if it's any good, or if I'm even doing the right thing.
I suppose this unsettled feeling derives partly from not really having a set plan in motion for where I'm heading. But I think it's more than that.
If I'm not getting encouragement or kudos from others, I tend to flounder, not really knowing if I'm on the right track. This is one of the biggest reasons I've chosen to blog about my non sign passions. To test the waters and see if my work is well received.
Don't get me wrong. I know within when something I've accomplished is good vs not so good. But what I'm really talking about is, that fueling agent that generates you towards the top of your own game. Is it from within, or outside sources, or both?
I nearly put this question on my blog. But YOU are the target audience this relates to moreso. Most of you have achieved the status you've desired and continue to work your way up. And that impresses me to no end. You love what you do AND you're good at it.
Most that DIY blog have these desires but have yet to put their passions in motion. And I have to wonder why.
Something is driving YOU forward. What, or who is it?
[ July 25, 2010, 03:59 AM: Message edited by: Donna in BC ]
posted
great posting, Donna- I find the same needs- mostly the motivation comes from curiosity, the outside responses make me want to continue and expand
-------------------- Catharine C. Kennedy CCK Graphics 1511 Route 28 Chatham Center, NY 12184 cck1620@taconic.net "Look at me, Look at me, Look at me now! I't's fun to have fun, But you have to know how!" Posts: 2173 | From: downtown Chatham Center, NY | Registered: Feb 2004
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My motivator is keeping a roof over my head and food in our bellies! Just got a loan for a new metal roof and also paid off my ginormous credit card balance (the same as the cost of the roof) and the payment will be automatically withdrawn from my checking account at the end of each month. Scary stuff. Amazing how cheerful I am now to even have a p!ssy magnetic sign job! Love....Jill
Posts: 8834 | From: Butler, PA, USA | Registered: Jan 2001
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-------------------- You ever notice how easily accessible people are when they are requiring your services but once they get invoice you can't reach them anymore
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If you take out the money factor, I'd still love what I do. The money gets me up a 6am, but the passion for the job comes from what I know I can design and build. As for a motivator, well, yesterday I was at the Goodguys Car Show Brush Bash ,working on my Kenworth hood mural. People stop, admire it, take pictures, and point at me and say "You did this?" "Yes I did", I reply, wearing a sun dress with high heels.
-------------------- Signs by Alicia Jennings (Mudflap Girl) Tacoma, WA Since 1987 Have Lipstick, will travel. Posts: 3814 | From: Tacoma, WA. U.S.A. | Registered: Dec 1999
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For me motivation comes from many different sources. First would be the desire to learn new/old techniques involved in various facets of sign making. I get bored easily so learning new stuff certainly keeps me interested.
The occasional "atta boy" from my peers in this industry keeps me motivated to try to attain the next level in creativity and craftsmanship. Receiving a thumbs up from another sign maker actually has a bigger impact on me than a happy customer.
My current job. Large format printing and slap and stick vinyl bores me to tears. To me it isn't sign making any more and it really takes very little talent or skill. It's really made me want to get back to my roots so to speak, so my current job is simply there to keep a roof over my head while I try to move some aspects of my life in a different direction.
Call it a mid life crisis but since I hit fifty this year I have a burning desire to spend the rest of my sign making career making the types of signs that I want to create. Making wads of cash has moved way down on the priority list. As long as the rent and the bills get paid I'm quite content.
And finally....Grandpa Dan. Almost everything he posts here on Letterville and the couple of times I've met with him adds tons of fuel to the fire.
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I've been called imaginative, but I can't imagine what it would be like not to be an artist.
-------------------- Frank Smith Frank Smith Signs Albany, NY www.franksmithsigns.com Posts: 807 | From: Albany, NY USA | Registered: Nov 1998
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Lawrence, I'd say I fall pretty close into the same area as you. I'm at a place where money has little to do with my motivation. Unfortunately, we need it. So I do what I have to do to earn a living, while slowly building up my passion on the side, with hopes that it'll draw a real income one day. Somehow.
Most of my paying work isn't about creativity. It just has to look clean, attractive and be done well, as I'm to copy what other fire departments already have. So I don't even GET feedback from my customer/s for the most part. I just go and do. I've never thought about it until now, but perhaps that's somewhat responsible for abit of my lack of enthusiasm outputting that type of work.
Now, when I post some crazy creative something or other on the blog and get 80 responses, you can bet the adrenaline to do another hit goes up a few notches!
And yeah, then there's Dan. It's hard not to be inspired by someone floating at the top of their game and continually striving for higher. And to hear a kudos from someone with that kind of talent? It makes you honestly believe you do indeed have the right stuff if 'he' says you do.
For most of you, it's interesting to see that your motivator simply comes from within while I'm still requiring outside sources to keep me pushing forward. I need to start thinking differently!
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Alicia has the right attitude, for sure. It really is about doing something that not only pays the bills, but is also something that makes us all feel like we are doing something to our standards, instead of for someone else's. Alicia also incorporates just enough of a fun attitude into it and it shows in her work.
The money is a big draw. I think, "Wow, these guys are going to pay me this much real money for me having this much fun, trying to do something creative?"
Then I drive by it weeks later and either think "Yeah. That one is really good" or else I grimace, thinking I made that 'G' too wide or the colors are a bit weak. Ultimately, I am the arbiter of the work and the challenge to push the skill just a notch further is really what it is all about.
The key is to have the freedom to be the person in charge of the look. That is the main motivator, I see for me.
-------------------- Preston McCall 112 Rim Road Santa Fe, New Mexico 87501 text: 5056607370 Posts: 1552 | From: Santa Fe, New Mexico | Registered: Nov 1998
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I've often questions what sparks motivation. What gets me up in the morning and what keeps me going through the day.
Back when I worked for a living (the last real job I had) I had a boss that felt that employees worked best when they were pushed - in a mean way. Fear in his mind was a great motivator. I hated working there and quit at the first timely opportunity so I guess it didn't work very well for me. Later when I had employees I strongly felt people were best motivated if I led by example and did my best to foster friendship and loyalty. I expected the very best from them and felt (with good results) this was a great motivator. They met my expectations.
Friendly (and fierce) competition is a wonderful motivator for me (in case you hadn't figured that out). It's not so much about who wins but rather about how high we can raise the bar in the process. Its all about learning and having a little fun along the way.
Pressure to meet my obligations and pay my bills certainly pushes me forward on projects I'm not totally in love with. Deadlines motivate me at times. If I have promised something I do my very best to perform to my commitment or beyond.
Enjoyment of certain tasks motivates me in a big way. I'll often save these tasks as a reward to myself for finishing something I don't enjoy nearly as much.
Then there are the things I am passionate about. They motivate me in a big way. Most of the jobs we tackle in our shop fall into this category. Getting up in the morning is pretty easy on these jobs. The money part isn't important on these projects (although I charge good for them and enjoy bringing the paycheck home). I purposely design these projects in a vague way and plus them constantly all the way through. This allows me to be wildly creative every day and keeps a big grin on my face.
To keep motivated, especially on a big project, we need to celebrate the victories and progress we make daily - even if it is small or less than expected. On the sub/boardroom project I do it by taking a few minutes at the end of each day and mocking up the pieces as they will be when done. Its a way of celebrating progress. Milestones are celebrated with a treat - generally some baking from the deli and an ice cold coke. It's best done with a friend - even if they don't 'get it' totally.
I am certainly motivated by the possibility that the work will be published in some way. The standard necessary is high and the bar is continually raised. Contests (back to the competition thing) figure into this same equation.
Knowing my peers in the industry are constantly watching and taking an interest in my work is certainly a motivator. At times it is intimidating to know they are expecting ever more from me. At the same time criticism or praise from this group also means the most for they know what it takes to do this type of thing. They speak from experience. The folks with the dirty hands and paint splotches on their clothes speak with the most authority.
My biggest motivator is to simply do better than I did yesterday. I know what the standard is - I know what I did yesterday. Doing something better and a little differently than what came before keeps things fresh and interesting. It challenges me daily for it is brand new territory - a little bit scary, the water a little bit deeper , the distance a little further than I've experienced before. Often, although I am confident I can somehow pull it off, I am not at all sure how until I sit down to do the task. This is when I am most challenged and also when I am the happiest - the most motivated.
I believe motivation can certainly be influenced by those around us. But most of the time it is something we consciously create inside ourselves. We have to decide to be motivated. We have to purposely make decisions that allow us to be motivated. When all the things that would undo this motivation surround us (and they do in my life too) we have to constantly make purposeful choices to keep it going.
Many small things adds up to big stuff (one way or the other) in a hurry.
-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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posted
Right while I was reading this someone commented on the painting of "Tippy" I recently posted and the feedback, support and encouragement from sign makers has fueled me once again. I'd really have to say my desire to paint successfully again was ignited by a sign maker who saw my art and introduced me to the business of signs. I am excited to learn and coming in this late in the game it's all out in front. That is my work life motivation but that wouldn't stand a chance without daily internal inspiration that is independent of all form.
posted
I get my motivation from seeing the industry "standard" in the sign and many other professions and not wanting to fall into that category.My wife and I are our biggest critics,always wanting to give the customer more than what they expected.Our last two jobs we ended up repairing mistakes,although very small, on jobs already done by another shop. My wife tells me I push myself too hard but I strive for perfection,so that when some looks at our work I want them to see quality. We constantly look at signs,vinyl and paint, and think of "how" it was done and how can we learn from it or take it one step farther and make it better. This profession is a second one for me and my wife and very important to us.We are in it for the challenge,the learning,the satisfaction,both self and from our peers.Our name and face are what the customer see's first. There is no doubt we like earning a few dollars from it and will always try to do one better than the last job.When our current customers send us new clients we know we have done our job right. Oh yeah our motivation is also our daughter,wow are girls expensive or what?
posted
I think most creative folks are never really satisfied with what we have done, always feeling like we could do it better or improve it somehow. That is what motivates me to keep learning new things, looking for new ideas, and finding better ways of doing whatever it is.
Part of that process is fueled by people like you Donna, and Dan, and Raymond, and Rick Sacks, etc.,etc. When I started pinstriping over 50 years ago, there weren't too many places to look for information and inspiration. Now we have Letterville, Letterhead events, trade publications..... everyone who shares so freely through those venues not only inspires me to improve my work, but also to pass on my knowledge and enthusiasm for the craft whenever possible.
Sometimes I need to remind myself how fortunate I am to be able to do what I do, have fun while I'm doing it, and make others happy through the artwork I create. It just doesn't get much better than that.
I just want to thank everyone who contributes to this forum, as by doing so you enrich all our lives.
-------------------- Life is not about waiting for the storm to pass... It's about learning to dance in the rain ! Jim Moser Design 13342 C Grass Valley Ave. Grass Valley, Ca. 95945 530-273-7615 jwmoser@att.net Posts: 488 | From: Grass Valley, Ca. | Registered: May 2006
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quote:Originally posted by Donna in BC: "I don't like this house, Mom. It's too funky."
Have you invited Cody to contribute his ideas to the decor of the house or maybe of his room ? .......
-------------------- Life is not about waiting for the storm to pass... It's about learning to dance in the rain ! Jim Moser Design 13342 C Grass Valley Ave. Grass Valley, Ca. 95945 530-273-7615 jwmoser@att.net Posts: 488 | From: Grass Valley, Ca. | Registered: May 2006
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Ohhhhh yes Jim I have. He wants things the way they use to be before renos. I think he just misses the 'old familiar' crappy carpets and cupboard doors falling off syndrome. It takes awhile to get use to the glitzy pretty stuff.
[ July 26, 2010, 01:36 PM: Message edited by: Donna in BC ]
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My motivation comes from: Family - convincing my 3 kids and wife that what I do for a living is the best profession for me.
Running your own business is not easy and requires long hours on occasion. The problem is when I'm into a project that I love, it's hard to shut off the lights and go home! I want to stay and keep going.
What drives me? The challenge to create something that I'd be proud to have for my own business. To continue to try new techniques and work at building a better sign with each project I accept.
And many of the people here that share their experiences unselfishly really motivates me to do better as an artist and a craftsman.
My biggest motivators (so far): "Grandpa Dan" Sawatzky, Raymond Chapman, the Diaz family, Jay Allen, Sonny Franks,Dave Butler, Tom & Kathy Durham, Don Hulsey, Dale Manor, Mike Meyers,and just about everyone I met at Pontiac.
The list continues to grow and inspire me. It's the best way to get inspired when you meet other artists, talk with them and see their portfolio.
Great post Donna. I was inspired to answer this post by thinking back on all the amazing people I have met so far in this industry.
Sign-cerely blessed, Steve
-------------------- Steve Luck Sign Magic Inc. 2718-b Grovelin Godfrey, Illinois 62035 (618)466-9120 signmagic@sbcglobal.net Posts: 870 | From: 2718-b Grovelin Godfrey, Illinois 62035 | Registered: Dec 2004
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