posted
I was just sitting here thinking. And wondering when you knew, without a doubt, that you 'fit' in Letterville. You just knew this was your spot to be. I think the post I read a couple of years ago, about how someone would paint over the accidental paint spots on their clothing with the same color paint as the article of clothing did it for me. I laughed so hard at that one. You see, I used to do that all the time. I had some nice clothes that I wore to the shop. But it seems the harder I would try NOT to spill, the more I would mess up. Well it got to the point where just about every piece of clothing I had would have a repaint spot on it somewhere. People would say...Gee nice shirt, but what is this hard spot??? I got pretty good at matching those colors! Oh, there have been lots of things I relate to in this crazy place called Letterville. We get all kinds here. And it really is kinda nice. Happy Holidays! neighbors
Back when I stumbled into town there were just dirt roads. Now there are paved streets and buildings.
But when I found out that most of the ones posting seem to have the same frustrations and joys in the sign biz as me....I realized it was just the way that this business is and not my fault that it has it "ups and downs".
In other words I finally had a way to guage the way I ran my business with others. It made me better, wiser, shrewder, and I started to care again about making really neat signs again.
I started sending pictures of my work to magazines, they got printed and I even started attending Letterhead meets because of this town.
Does that answer the question? I think I'm rambling again. hahahah
See ya down town!
------------------ Draper The Signmaker Bloomington Illinois USA Stop in and visit a while! 309-828-7110
Posts: 2883 | From: Bloomington Illinois USA | Registered: Nov 1998
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I felt I belonged here when someone responded to one of my posts for the first time, thanking me of all things.
I had posted for so long asking so many questions, when finally one day I felt I knew just enough to answer one.
I think being all regular posters make it feel like home here too. Because we've met so many of each other or just posting back and forth continuously, you get a homey feeling on this board.
This site is my christmas gift. I know I can ask virtually anything I need to know and get invaluable input quickly.
------------------ Graphic Impact located in BC Canada gisigns@sprint.ca
Posts: 5630 | From: Yarrow, BC Canada | Registered: Nov 1998
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I think there may be different levels of "fitting in", On one hand most times I do not feel as I fit in here at all. I look at the talent and knowledge that so many here have that I seem like I am out in right field somewhere and everyone else is crossing home plate.
But at the same time I think my enthusiasm to learn and gain the knowledge that so many people have to offer that maybe this is "just" the place I need to be.
Above all else I have made so many friends in relationship to this board that those friendships are far more important than anything material I could gain. When I am older and unable (physically) to operate my sign shop, it will be those friendships and LIFE lessons that I will cherish and carry with me far longer than any "sign Teq. or skill learned here, or anywhere else for that matter.
Along those lines I would like to say a big thank you to Barb and Steve for all there efforts in bringing us together. Thru all their personal up's and down's, they still find the time and have the energy to put up with all of us. THANK YOU!!!!
If they had not started this website, I think someone else may have, others already have. But,none of the ones exsisting, and very few other people could have turned this into what it is today and continues to be in the future.......A FAMILY OF LETTERHEADS Most would have quit along time ago!!!!!
So, in responce to your question, I have felt like a part of this family for as long as I can remember, not the most talented, or the most popular, or the most creative family member, but a family member all the same.
Thanks to everyone and I hope your Holidays and the new year bring you all the joy and inner peace that one can enjoy......
------------------ Troy Haas "Metal_Leg" on mIRC
SAM Signs & RPM Auto Graphix 812-437-5367 Evansville,Indiana
"Chaos, panic, disorder - my work here is done."
[This message has been edited by Troy Haas (edited December 03, 2000).]
Posts: 1100 | From: Evansville,Indiana, USA | Registered: Nov 1998
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posted
I have been logging on, almost daily for the best part of 5 years....I think everyone should feel like they "fit in " from the start, if this forum is working in the true spirit by which it was set up and the Letterhead movement started by Mike Jackson & Co. all those years ago.
Be yourself and never be afraid to ask however stupid it might sound everybody had to start somewhere, and if a as a newcomer here you feel you have a hardtime...ignore it and keep posting, the problem is with those that might seek to put you down, and not with the simplicity of your posts.
We are all at different stages of our lives and learning curves and all have something valuable to contribute.
The dangerous ground has been trodden here recently with the avalanche of political, religious and gun related posts, which does more to divide than unite because alot of these beliefs are very personal and should perhaps remain that way.....got to go will add abit later
------------------ Henry Barker #1924 akaKaftan SignCraft AB Stockholm, Sweden. A little bit of England in a corner of Stockholm www.signcraft.se info@signcraft.se
Posts: 1552 | From: Stockholm, Sweden | Registered: Nov 1998
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posted
A half an hour or so after I was introduced to the internet circa the same era as Henry above. I'd read about letterhead meets and when I looked this place up and confirmed that the movement was the eccentric, chaotic headless beast I'd assumed it was I was "in". Dont let the visitors badge fool you, the difference I think in the people that frequent this board and meets as Troy said, is that they want to learn. (The fact that people also like to show how clever they are is a spinoff ) Ego's should be checked at the door as the sign said at Commerce so I believe. Another common trait I've found with the people I've met here is that they got into the business by very concious decision, for myself a decision made in grade 5. Perhaps I'm just blind to it but I also enjoy the near absence of politicking and personal agendas that you can find in formalised industry groups. Interesting thread, David
------------------ D.A. & P.M. Fisher Signwriting Brisbane Australia da_pmf@yahoo.com
Posts: 1450 | From: Brisbane Queensland Australia | Registered: Nov 1998
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posted
I rarely fit in anywhere but seem to have met up with with a couple crazies here on letterhead and always come back for more. I have been here for 5 or 6 years and outside of a couple cops I find that most persons are genuinely good people. Although few have anything in common with me. I always mention this site to others in the field with hopes they advertise as i dislike working with my own money. I don't get away with as much as I used to but letterhead is the only place where the street and the elite meet.........
Well for me when I first saw the link to Letterheads I thought "now this sounds like somewhere I belong". Then I found out that sign art was most of it and airbrush was a small part and I thought "probably not."
Then I logged in and looked around, heard all my fellow small business owners trials and joys and thought "this is is where I belong". Then I realized all the experience and expertise around here and thought "maybe not".
Then I started responding to posts and tried IRC chat and I thought "this IS where I belong". I met a couple cool people in person like Ron Percell, Ken Turner, and Rick Sacks, I saw their successful shops and happy families and I thought "well...maybe I do fit in after all".
Finally I became a resident and went to my first (and second) Letterhead meets. I learned cool things, met wonderful people, and had a great time. I went to dinner with fellow friends from the Bull Board and had the honor of talking to some of the greatest posters on this very forum. And I thought "I have found my home!"
Now I'm wondering what may happen at my first national meet?
Really, for a guy who has never yet sold a sign to any one, I still feel like I fit right in. It's about loving what you do, the desire to learn and improve, the restlessness of a creative spirit, the appreciation of fine work and finer friends, the hassles of everyday life, the joys of family, and the desire to make the world a brighter and more finely decorated place. The only lament I have about Letterville is that there are soooo many people who just wouldn't get it. For those who do get it, I hope to see you at my next meet (or the next one, or the one after that ........)
~Rich Diltz
------------------ Rich Diltz In Sacramento for now, but who knows where next
posted
good thread. I got to letterheads via airbrushing links. This website has helped me to revive a long and dearly held dream- to work hands on in the signs and graphics industry. As to feeling at home - I have to say that for me it was the first time that someone laughed at one of my jokes - as simple as that. This is the first time in my life that anyone has taken me seriously in this regard. I can only say that this is having some positive and good repercussions in my "real life" too. So those of you who have so much to share with those of us who have so much to learn please take note : you never know how much good you can spread through to peoples lives by your generosity on this BB. As to "getting it" I "got it" pretty soon after checking in here - everyone has something to give and everyone has needs -in the end it all balances out. Now if we can all try to remember to be nice and polite to one another...
------------------ Karen Tighe, Strandhill, Sligo in the Wild Wet West of Ireland.
mIRC = cafe_cruiser
Posts: 238 | From: Great Britain | Registered: May 2000
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posted
well lets see....I guess my answer would be when I was invited by Jackie B (now Jackie Vaughn) when I was traveling on the road. She's a letterhead that reads this BB. I never knew her, but she was so kind to invite myself and road dog Richard Bustamante, to her place for some chili chesse omelettes. There we met her brother artist Bob Benker. After that I met quite a few more Letterheads (and I mean some REALLY COOL CATS) from Letterville. Some I worked with and some we kicked back or we had fun touring thru their area. Museums, Galleries, Restaruants, etc, etc. You also included
here's another pic of some of my buddies, they all made me feel like I was fit to be in Letterville, There's also a couple of other real cool cats I met, but they are not in this picture, is Ole Jackson Smart, and Rick Sacks and family. I made this collage quite awhile ago, for others if I didn't mention, forgive me. I wish you all a very Merry Christmas. "Long live Letterheads and Letterville!" http://www.geocities.com/letro_58/Ltheadjpg.jpg
------------------ FranCisco Vargas aka: Cisco aka:Traveling Millennium Sign Artist http://www.franciscovargas.com Fresno, CA 93703 559 252-0935
"to live life, is to love life, a sign of no life, is a sign of no love"...Cisco 12'98
Posts: 3576 | From: Fresno, Ca, the great USA | Registered: Dec 1998
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posted
Curiosity has led to and still attracts me to this site daily. Yes, I am new to the sign business but not to business, being self-employed since 1970. I am doing a career change and I have many questions that have been answered by reading others posts and by viewing the advertisers sites that link from this site. I have attended some meets and I again have returned home with new friends and questions answered. Like all businesses in this country you will experience some good and some not so good, that is for the consumer to determine with the assistance of a web site like Letterheads. Products, techniques, questions and lifestyle input is enough for me. It fits for now, like a slice of true America pie, this sign business allows anyone the avenue to create, express your vision to the customer and be handsomely rewarded for it. If you can’t get your needs met and you find yourself miserable in this profession, well don’t blame the profession look inside yourself for direction or post it on this site. Thank yourselves and God for the freedoms we enjoy, right now the freedom of speech. Ken Morse.
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Posts: 213 | From: Santa Cruz, CA. USA | Registered: Nov 2000
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posted
Yup....this is a great place! Here are some Letterhead friends that I met last summer. Adrienne, Alicia, and Cisco. I wouldn't have met these great people if I never would have 'clicked on'. Thanks Steve and Barb!
posted
not knowing which icon to choose to mark this post, i choose a thumbs up...
this is to tbuk/ted:
ted, in my own opinion, your posts have always been eliquent..pure poetry and thought in each and every one. i never thought a thing bout your spelling, as i read that as your writing style, no different that mark twain or ee cummings. in a very real way, that style forced the reader to not skim thru your posts, but to put thought into reading every passage.
as to where you sent your check, my hat is off to you for what you did!
i know i am not alone in my feeling that your posts were not only appreciated by many, but missed by not only those that read them, but by those new faces here that have never had the pleasure
you are loved and appreciated here, ted
now will somebody please send me a receipt for my two cents worth
------------------ Don Coplen aka "SaintPete" Coplen Designs St.Petersburg, FL dcoplen@mindspring.com
13.7¢ a day to support this site that does so much for so many? Count me in! Another proud supporter of this great site and all it stands for!
posted
Well...."Fitting In" is something I have never been real comfortable about. I found this BB about 2 years ago....at first I just read the different posts...laughed at some and shook my head at others. Then I jumped right in....well...I don't know how I was recieved. Some of my posts went unanswered...It bothered me at first....then I came to the realization that I had just as much to say as the others....Now...just try to shut me up! hahaha I truely enjoy everyones comments...good or bad....it is just your opinion...and you are certainly entitled to it. If it chaps someones hide...then realize it is only your issue. Now...I really felt like I was a part of this board when this cat, Cisco Vargas, showed up at my door. As soon as I saw his smile...it hit me. If he was the type of person to take time out to come and see me....then I must have something. I feel it was instant friendship....for us both. And Cisco...your friendship means the world to me And then Cheryl, Nettie,Ken Henry, Rick, took time out to encourage me....Thank you for your kindness.
So...if in the future...I should say something to get your dander up....please don't take it personal....It is just my own opinion...
To Steve and Barb...my thanks goes out to you both for providing us with the opportunity to interact with each other...I know it is invaluable to each of us...because sometimes we all feel so isolated..especially when you are living on the edge of the world...it is nice to know that there is someone out there that knows how you feel.
Thanks to you all....nuture one another and play well together....
------------------ Jackson Smart Jackson's Signs Port Angeles, WA ...."The Straits of Juan De Fuca in my front yard and Olympic National Park in my backyard...
"Living on Earth is expensive...but it does include a free trip around the Sun"
Posts: 1002 | From: Port Angeles, Washington | Registered: Jan 1999
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posted
I've always been an odball of sorts , never fitting in the the mainstream. The sales manager at my largest account calls me a "free spirit" Well, I can think of a lot worse things to be called. The first link of course here in Letterville is the signs and striping. It was after I visited I found there were a lot of like minded people here...........a whole lot of like minded folks, which was kinda scary at first but became very comforting after awhile. I have made some strong friendships with some really great people as a result of this BB. A big thank you to Steve and Barb.
The common links have grown far past the signs and stripes to include views on politics, religion and music. All of which, at least in my case are pretty far from the norm. A high point occured at the Dixie meet in Commerce in Oct. I was playing some tapes in my little boom box and plugged in John Prines " In spite of ourselves " featuring duets with a number of female singers. It started playing and five people commented on what big Iris Dement fans they were. I could probably spend all day and couldn't round up five people who ever hear of Iris and here were five not only under one roof but at the same table I don't try to figure out what it is about this place, I just enjoy..........
------------------ George Perkins Millington,TN. goatwell@ionictech.com
"I started out with nothing and still have most of it left"
posted
Well, I aint never been a square peg, and I get along with almost everybody. I treat people the way they treat me, and it almost always works out. This is a very helpful place for beginners and old timers alike, and has an abundance of knowledge to draw from. A friend told me about this here board, and I checked it out and there you go. Just like anywhere, there are personalities and stuff to deal with, but almost all of the time things run pretty smooth here. I guess you will always have differences of opinion, no matter what the subject, but signmaking is the main reason for this board, and hopefully, the only main difference will be what size brush you like better, or what type vinyl you prefer.
------------------ John Deaton III Deaton Signs&Grafix 109 N. Cumberland Ave.,Harlan, Ky. 40831 606-573-9101
posted
It would have to be when "BILL Davidson" held a 2-day jamboree called "SIGNFEST". It was the second letterhead event in California. There were people all over the place and I had no clue about what was going on. I think that was around '85'. But I believe as far as this site goes, I was turned on to it by Kent Smith. I did read an article in Sign Builder magazine, which basically was a story about Steve Shortreed. I was so moved by the things that he had ben through that I called him right after I laid the story down. We have been friends since that time. I am also a past advertiser. So I guess I could be called a board junkie! By the way I am super glad to see TBUK'back in site where we can continue to analyzzzze him. When the goin'gets weird the weird get goin'. Thas'it................CrazyJack
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Posts: 2914 | From: Rocklin, CA. USA | Registered: Dec 1998
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------------------ There is nothing new under the sun. What will be has already been and what has been will be again. Daniel R. Perez Daniez Dzines Fresno, CA daniez2001@yahoo.com
[This message has been edited by Daniez (edited December 06, 2000).]
Posts: 299 | From: Fresno, CA, USA | Registered: Jun 2000
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posted
I'm not sure I totally fit-in either. There are so many people here with so much talent that I feel like I'm on the outside looking in. Watching and learning isn't by any means a bad thing though and there isn't a better place than here to do that. I've been doing signs of some sort for about 10 or 12 years starting with installs, and the last 5 designing and using a vinyl cutter and printer. When I feel like I fit in the most is when I have a question and it gets answered. That's a good feeling. Then there is the rare few times I've been able to help someone else. It is like family and hearing all the ups and downs in the sign business and then seeing some of the work in the sign mags is really cool. Now let's all go down to the Letterville Bar and Grill for cold one.....
------------------ When good things happen...that must be a sign!! Tony McDonald DBA-Ace Graphics & Printing P.O. Box 91 Camdenton, MO. USA (573) 346-6696 <daddyo@advertisnet.com> <tony@brownbeverage.com>
Posts: 1199 | From: Camdenton, MO. USA | Registered: Oct 1999
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posted
let's see here cheryl, i guess i felt i was at home when i first saw one of tbuk's post. LOL i said to myself, "mark, there are people out there who are just as wierd as you"
posted
I really don't know if i fit in with the rest of you as most have met each other over the years..I had the opportunity to talk to Susan when she came to Nova Scotia over the phone (SourceSigns)..
I have many years of experience in the business and love helping someone out if I can. Some will tell me that my statement is wrong and give their two cents worth,making it nice to know that others will share alittle bit of their knowledge as well..
Meeting old friends through the board is nice too! As a post was sent to me about 3 weeks ago Steve & Barb forwarded it of a long lost friend trying to contact myself....I just got back from Ontario after visiting him.. Sat back with a few Beer and talked shop on the different prices in the different areas...
I guess all in all I think of myself as some what of a help on the BullBoard and hope I am not to much of a pain in the Ass....
I'm always willing to help and just as much willing to learn! Raven/2000
------------------ Raven/2000 Airbrushed by Raven Lower sackville N.S. deveausdiscovery@sprint.ca
Posts: 4327 | From: Lower Sackville, Nova Scotia, Canada | Registered: Jan 2000
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