Personal discipline

[ThomasPowers]

One old smith, (who had been a paid smith for over 60 years when I knew him) once told me that putting $10 worth of work in a $1 job was not the way to go; that each job had it's own level of what was required and going beyond that was cheating yourself.

Of course he was not an artist; just a respected craftsman that people would travel half a day to have him do their work---his level was never "the minimun required" either.

[IronPuppet]

I always do my best. No matter what it is I am doing at the time. Washing dishes or mowing the lawn, I always do what I consider a proper job. I do this for my own self worth. Anything less is humiliating.

I do take on contracts and build stuff for clients. What they are buying is my expertise. What they get is what we agree they will receive for the amount they want to pay. Often there are times when I could do a job better than they are willing to pay for. They don't want to fork out for the best of materials and the most advanced techniques. This means that I am not working to my potential, but I always give 100% to the task at hand. I do my best regardless of what I am to do and strive to do good work. If they are paying for "good enough" then that's what they get, but it's not my choice.

I say "good" work and not "excellent" work, for it is my opinion that it is not up to me to call my work excellent. That is a distinction that others bestow upon my work if they like it enough. To me the work is either good quality or poor quality and I always strive to do good. Inevitably, due to circumstances and the unforeseen, substandard work does happen to occur. I never let this go and keep at it until I can say I am pleased with the effort, or I start over with what I learned from the first attempt.

It is also not my place to call myself an artist. That is what other people will call me if it happens to be so. I call myself a craftsman and let the chips fall as they may. If someone calls you an artist, you should thank them humbly and deeply. It is the highest form of compliment you could receive. It does you no good to compliment yourself, it only deludes you. Anyone can call themselves an artist, but to be an artist takes an awful lot of hard work. Then, one day, a stranger looks at your body of work and says, "You're an artist!" An unprovoked compliment like that can really make your day.

Always do good work and you will be happy at the end of the day.

This is what I believe to be true.

Christopher

[Thomas Dean]

I was demoing at a Saltfork meeting this past weekend and the first thing I made (or should I say, botched up) was a simple leaf. I cut it off and threw it in the scrap bucket. It was not up to my standard. That being said, the people watching SAW me throw it in the bucket therefore proving that I am NOT perfect! Didn't hurt my feeling in the least. It also showed the students watching that "yes, you will make mistakes, learn from them and go on." (It AIN'T the end of the world )As stated in the posts above, I too, have high standards for my work. I don't even give away items that don't meet those standards. I believe it goes simply to pride in your work, no matter the work. I have had people call me an "artist", I can't tell them how to think, although I feel as I have a LONG way to go to obtain that lofty title. I am content being a student of the craft, always learning, improving, and hopefully teaching others as I go.