I think I'm done

[cherie]

I am with everyone here when we say "Don't give up Cowboy."  I wish I could turn my hobby into a job.  I am trying, but I just have so much stuff on my plate that I cannot get it done.  As for your patterns...the Wildlife  book I will be buying within the next few months (I hope if everything works out).  I may not get anything cut because school will be back up and going, but at least I can put together in my mind what I want to cut.  (Wolves)  LOL.

[Charlie Dearing]

I urge you and everyone NOT to feel obligated to buy my patterns.  Please.  I appreciate the kind words and compliments, but this isn't a mission to make anyone feel guilty or pushed.  Just a hard decision I had to make for myself.

[Charlie Dearing]

I have every intention of helping others, answering questions and being my old goofy self.  I'm not running away.

[northie66]

I didn't think you were whining or trying to drum up sales... I just took it as venting.  But seriously, do you have any guitar patterns already made up?

[Charlie Dearing]

No i am afraid I don't.

[chief]

When you're on the ground and getting kicked in the ribs, thats when you hit them with a hard nut shot.  Don't ever give up and never ever quit.  If everyone quit when things got tough or weren't going their way they would never get anywhere.
Sorry I can't put things a little more gentle.  I just call it as I see it and state the hard facts.

[jon]

we gotta change ur nic name if ya back out now iv never met a fellow cowbow that gave up he allways gets up dusts himself off and jumps back on. "PICK UR SELF UP" also iv done some market research in tx yes i know dallas and houston is quite the drive but that is what you gotta do to sell your work. and you will also have some healthy compition out there mainly grumpy old men maken extra income. someone said that you should hit up some vet offices to sell your work i agree with this it is a great way to get you noticed and out there. riden stables, dr offices, ect. there all good places to hit just call make an appointment to see them and take some work with you. be forwarned with todays econemy your prices will hinder some sales but people love there pets and shell out big $$ for them. heck i just spent $280 for a little cheap box that contains my best freind. and im a tight wad. the point is you gotta make some noise to be heard and if that means packen up some patterns and finished work and hitchen a ride to dallas and spending the weekend there knocken on doors thats what you gotta do. we all can sell your work for you but not for the price you want only you can sell it for what you want noone can sell a product like the creator. sorry i did not sugar coat anything but i did refrain on some comments.

[sgood]

Hey Charlie, I understand. I tell myself about once a week that I'm going to quit running my blog. If you are trying to run your pattern web site as a business and you are losing money then by all logic you should change something or shut it down.

Unfortunately you probably can't really quit. Your stuck. You are a right-brained person. Your decisions are formed by creativity, feeling and intuition. That's why they call it being a starving artist. It's not always logical. What is happening to you right now is your left brain is being a pain in the ass and telling you to stop.

Your right brain will eventually win out and force you to do what gives it a high. No one puts as much time into something as you do with your patterns without getting a buzz from it.

If you are losing money that you need to eat then you have to stop. If it is just that you are frustrated because the time and effort are not returning the monies you think are earned then you are forgetting one big important thing. That thing is something we all need. I'm not sure what the one word for that thing is but but its the feeling we get when we do something we are passionate about. It's the feeling you get when you are doing something you love so much that you forget to eat or go to the bathroom. Time stands still and you are in that zone where nothing else matters. It's sad but most people are so busy letting their left brain run their life that they never experience that feeling. I know you know what I'm talking about. How much is that feeling worth?

I'm not telling you to quit or not. I'm just saying to make sure you understand why you started creating art. Was it really about the money or was it something else?

[jimbo]

I agree Steve, I am lucky I suppose I do my turning and sawing for a hobby and time is of no consecquence $$ wise, BUT in the end I make a $ here and there seling my stuff, I have picked the venues where I can sell and that keeps me going cash flow wise, believe me you don't have to be a sales man to sell your stuff just be in the rite place, check venues out sell your sawn stuff Charlie it is brilliant then put your patterns foreward so people can try for them selves, it takes time
best of luck friend
Jimbo

[Russ C]

Well said Steve. It is a hobby for me, selling something I make is a bonus. Just love wood working. Very few can make a living out of it. 

[GrayBeard]

So TRUE, Steve!
I have no vision of 'making money' at this hobby nor do I care. It creates friction with my roommate because she thinks everything I make should be For Sale somewhere.

When I get into the mood and into the shop I lose all track of time, aches, pains, world crises, personal problems, everything. All I want is to make something that I like and if I give it away or sell it, or a squirrel carries it off to his nest makes no difference.

NOTHING replaces that feeling that I have done something that is uniquely MINE and if someone else happens to appreciate it so much the better because I have done something that also pleases someone else.

How many times have I worked on a project, finished it and sat there smiling over it and a friend stops by and says, "Boy that is really nice." and my immediate reply usually is,"You really like it? It's yours, I made it for you!"
AND that feeling, that HIGH doesn't diminish with the giving it only escalates and makes me want to do something else!

Am I a bit quirky? Maybe its my age and the sense that I am returning something for what I was given.

~~~GrayBeard~~~

[Charlie Dearing]

Again, thanks for al lthe input but to some I have to say I have NOT fallen from my horse...I just put it in the barn.  Some are seeing this as some kind of protest.  It is not.  Like I said before, it's not fun anymore.  If the passion and fire comes back, I will start again. 

[Russ C]

You can't keep a good man down. He might not get up as fast as he use to, but he will get up. The sun always shines after the rain.
    

[Becky]

Graybeard, I know exactly what you mean.  I pretty much give everything away too.  It makes people so happy to get it.  Who knew it would be so easy and enjoyable (in the crafting part) to make so many people happy?

I'm working on something now that I fully planned to be something just for me.  I'm already thinking about someone else I might give it to instead because it seems appropriate.  I can't seem to keep anything!

Charlie (back on topic), I thought it was about money but if it is about not having fun anymore, you should definitely take a break.  I am pretty sure at some point your fingers will start itching again and you'll be full of new ideas and have a refreshed point of view.  Sometimes you just need to take a break for a while and let your head clear.

[Crabbyboater]

Just a word about product pricing and folks who try to get a "better" deal.  I sold a service for 23 years that was far more expensive than any of my competitors.  Watched other salespeople come and go complaining they couldn't sell it because it was too expensive.   Being a rather optimistic sort, I looked at the high pricde as a benefit.  If I already knew I was the most expensive in town there was no point in talking about price.  Instead I talked about quality and benefits, which is what every salesperson should talk about.  Also, firm, higher prices make a statement of their own about quality.

There was a time when Sears sold fur coats.  They were good quality but Sears gave up because no one wanted to buy a fur coat with a Sears label.

I know I'm not right on target with your struggles, Charlie, but hearing about the guy who wanted the better deal made my blood boil a bit.  You've got great products and they're worth every penny you ask.  You just need to find the right customer base, and word of mouth is a good way to go.  Slow, but sure and it snowballs.