Wednesday, September 03, 2014

10 Things Not to Say to a Woodworker... good luck with that!

Some people actually get into woodworking thinking they will save money, by building their own furniture. Damn, have I got news for you....

So when I saw a post  on the ACT blog, entitled "10 things not to say to an Artist or Craftsman" - I thought it was quite relevant to woodworkers.  

Here's their list, with a few of my comments in red added in. Feel free to add your own comments. 

(If you're a woodworker, I'm sure you'll have an opinion to share about a few of these!)


10 THINGS NOT TO SAY TO A Woodworker

10. “I’ll just get my friend to make me one of those.”  (Good luck with that!)
9. “You know what you should make . . . ”   (Yes, I do. Thank you very much for NOT telling me.)
8. “Do I get a price break if I buy two?”  (Maybe two dozen.....)
7. “I can make that myself.”   (Good luck with that!)
6. “Why does it cost so much?”    (My Furniture Design degree cost roughly $10,000 a year for four years, plus the cost of my tools - roughly $80,000-$100,000 in tools, accessories, clamps, supplies, inventory. That's not including rent, insurance, overhead, and wasting time answering questions like this... THAT is why my pricing is in that range.)
5. “How do you make this?”    (If I shared that with you, then I would have to terminate you!)
4. “Will you donate your artwork to our event? We can’t pay you, but it will be great exposure.”   (No, but since you like my work so much, feel free to share my name with all of your friends and business contacts.)
3. “My nine-year-old makes this kind of stuff too.”   (That's how I started - don't stifle their creativity, but don't encourage them too much, either. This is a tough way to make a living.) 
2. “Kids, this is what happens if you don’t go to college.”   (I honestly don't have a good response for that one.... does anyone out there have a good answer for this?)
1. “I can buy that at Walmart for $3.99.”     (Good luck with that!)

4 comments:

John Frame said...

Ya, #7 I tried, I failed, I got frustrated,
Now I go to therapy, I mean now I take classes. Lol. #2 I could say........ but I better not.

Jay Amundson said...

In RE to # 2, My first response would be to deck the guy. After some thought I would feel sorry for him because he's obviously doesn't have the background or knowledge to understand our society. Probably one of those collage professors who think there s--t don't stink.

Bonnie Kelso said...

Love it! #2 College is overrated. Perhaps you mean "see kids, here is someone who is following her passion!" You won't find passion from a degree, it has to come from a deeper place within.

Jay Amundson said...

Thanks Bonnie. You stated my thoughts better than I did. It's all about passion! Who cares about how many letters they can put after their name.