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Have you ever ridden a bike down a road you travel everyday by car or truck? you soon realize more about that road than ever before, you notice every tree, every rock, every blade of grass,not to mention you realize how much harder it is to travel it, next take away the bike and walk that same road, now it's even more different than ever, and usually you gain a new appreciation for the road and the car or truck you usually travel on it with.
What does this have to do with signs you ask?
well recently some circumstances have changed the way I make signs for the short term.
I cant use my software because of a missing dongle so I also cannot use my plotters or edge.
Now I'm not complaining just coming to some new appreciations. Untill I recieve a new dongle I am now doing all the signs in my shop by hand, now the jobs I have in the shop right now are a combo of hand lettering airbrushing and carving anyway but when you cant use the tools you usually use to aid in and speed up the process you get a whole new perspective of each step in making a sign.
Such as layout, letter spacing, pouncing patterns and actual letter construction.
again I'm not complaining just sharing the view from my side of the pond. It's an awesome view, one I havent seen in a long while. Good for the soul.
I feel like a kid again walking to his friends house, stopping to look at a caterpiller on a blade of grass, climbing a tree, jumping off rocks, and enjoying every step of the way between point A & point B.
Sometimes the faster we travel from point A to point B we remove ourselves from experiencing the whole journey.
Have an awesome day~
[ October 28, 2003, 07:36 AM: Message edited by: Bob Rochon ]
-------------------- Bob Rochon Creative Signworks Millbury, MA 508-865-7330
"Life is Like an Echo, what you put out, comes back to you." Posts: 5149 | From: Millbury, Mass. U.S. | Registered: Nov 1998
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MAYBE "Stoping to smell the Roses" is a TRUE statement! Glad to hear you are NOT(stuck)in that box forever I try to STAY with a small amount of handbrush work as much as possible just to enjoy the feeling
When the term "wasting time" gets thrown in the fray.I am sure the one throwing does not understand the other term....ENJOYMENT
Hope this helps as much as it has helped me Thanks Bob
-------------------- PKing is Pat King The Professor of SIGNOLOGY Posts: 3113 | From: Pompano Beach, FL. USA | Registered: Nov 1998
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What is a pleasure for you and I must be a terrifying event for others...what must it be like to have your income come to a sceeching halt when the computer goes down.
We've had moments with ours that have scared hell out of us and then the light goes on..."I made a living this way for 25 years before I owned the box".
You're absolutely right...it is a pleasure and a reward... tho I have to admit the rate the jobs go out is somewhat stimied.
But then again...who wants to "run thru the rose garden".
-------------------- "Werks fer me...it'll werk fer you"
I'll add; "Don't let your life pass you by!" to these phrases of 'appreciation.'
Actually, when we 'slow down,' all of our senses become even more acute. In this day in age our lives seem so fast paced, it's the norm. It's a good idea, to 'stop and smell the roses,' touch base and get down to the basics...
A couple of things have occured, here in my shop, within the past couple of weeks, which have me thinking in the same terms as yourself and doing things the old fashioned way.
I'm working on a carving project. Luckly, before my scanner took it's final dump, I managed to pull in one rotten image, which I was unable to vectorize. I decided not to waste any more valuable time manipulating the image on the computer and to go it a lone, and lay it out by hand. Couldn't even get a decient transparency! Arrrg!
I'm thankful for the knowledge and the fact I didn't have to think twice, turning my back on the old crutch, the computer!
Computers! We don't need no stinking computers!
Cher.
**edited** to add; Ooops! I guess we do need a computer to visit Letterville...
[ October 28, 2003, 09:30 AM: Message edited by: Cheryl Lucas ]
-------------------- Co-Host: SANDCASTLE Panel Jam 'a Dixie Letterhead Reunion' Fort Myers, Florida
Cheryl Lucas a/k/a "Shag" on mIRC Vital Signs & Graphics, Etc. Cape Coral, Florida 239-574-4713 VSignsNgraphics@aol.com Posts: 987 | From: Cape Coral, FL USA | Registered: Aug 2000
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Bob-o-rama... You forgot to mention how much the fumes enhance the entire experience! HAHA Seriously, it is good that you can enjoy something even while the other part of your brain is wondering about annoying stuff like damn fickle plotters. That says a lot about you. Love- JILL
-------------------- That is like a Mr. Potato Head with all the pieces in the wrong place. -Russ McMullin Posts: 8834 | From: Butler, PA, USA | Registered: Jan 2001
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True Bob it's great to slow down and see things from another prospective. A few moths ago I had small mouse crawl inside my plotter and make a nest, flicked the switch to do some plotting and "oops" a puff of smoke, no more plotter. Having to do things without my plotter was a humbling experience and gave me an appreciation of the talent that is required to produce signs that are made in the traditional way.
I've spent years painting, but when I was shopping for vinyl online, what did I find? Letterville! I went to my first meet with a laptop that had my portfolio on it. Everyone else had photos. Since the meet, the vinyl machine's collecting dust and the laptop is just about forgotten.
Not only is it great to slow down and see things you might normally miss, slowing down and seeing yourself in a different light can be pretty worthwhile, too.
Since slowing down and stopping in Letterville, the view has changed for the better around my place.
Not usually my style in the past... Rapid
-------------------- Ray Rheaume Rapidfire Design 543 Brushwood Road North Haverhill, NH 03774 rapidfiredesign@hotmail.com 603-787-6803
I like my paint shaken, not stirred. Posts: 5648 | From: North Haverhill, New Hampshire | Registered: Apr 2003
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I know the feeling! We're on Solar power here- and sometimes I just don't feel like cranking up the generator to plot something, so brush or hand mask & airbrush it- there are lots of alternatives aren't there, and they're not always that slow, it's just a differet mindset.
PS Bob, I think there's still a stack of Letraset foalting around, some of which might be useful !
-------------------- "Stewey" on chat
"...there are no limits when you aim for perfection..." Jonathan Livingston Seagull Posts: 7017 | From: Highgrove via Toowoomba, Queensland, Australia | Registered: Dec 2002
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I guess we do need a computer to visit Letterville... ![[Roll Eyes]](rolleyes.gif)
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