Bryce Masuk Posted September 3, 2009 Share Posted September 3, 2009 I thought some of you may have some interesting imput on this I am not specifically looking for advice but rather speaking my mind for personal clairity, However I should hope that I am not blind or ignorant enough to refuse knowledge. I specificly see many people who make a living from blacksmithing are working incredibly hard and are sustaining themselves and perhaps putting some money away for the future of themselves, family, and other important things. They do this because they LOVE the craft and could not imagine doing anything else and would probley not be able to keep themselves in once piece as a insurance salesman or something like that. However most arent really making more money that say a skilled plumber or electrican and they are probley working much harder and spending alot of money on day to day expenses than most tradesmen, WHY because they need a actual location that is steady you really dont want to have to move your shop unless you have to you wont be making money for quite awhile. Plus your burning fuel all the time running powerhammers ripping though constant consumable materials and powertools might last you a year and a half or two but thats nearly the end of them. I also see people fabricating eveything with small cast cheap pieces making garden gates for 1500 bucks and simple decking railings for 5000 dollars and producing 3 of these gates in 6 hours and all that type of railing work in 24 working hours and installing in about 4 hours. I also see people who are making incredible amazing blacksmithing work, mind blowing infact. I know they charge high dollars because there clients are kings queens governments so on and forth right. but are they still making alot of money.... I am thinking probley not vs the fact that its ONLY them producing such works it takes many hours with one man and a assistant and to become this good at blacksmithing not only does it take many years but it takes many years of working for FREE and or for nearly nothing... I wonder what it really takes, I truly love blacksmithing I make no claims of being a skilled blacksmith however I know I have the ambition, desire and am willing to do whatever it takes to make it happen. At one point I was high concidering selling EVERYTHING I owned and leaving to tour the world to learn from whoever was willing to teach me. Slowly my ideas changed I ran into several good deals on equipment and continued to study marketing, sales, advertisement, and numerous other things everyone should read (amazingly most people in philosophy are also economists not just marx) But I decided I have always had NO MONEY few things have been handed to me and i greatly appreciate whatever has been and all support given by family and such, It seemed my choice of path to become a blacksmith would also lead to NO MONEY, Most people dont even know people still swing a hammer for a living even framers have pneumatic nailers, Unfortunately not by my choice but the way the world works no money typically means no choice, you cant find a job as a blacksmith so you work at mcdonalds, you cant afford a car so you take public transit, you cant afford a home so you rent one for your entire life, Personally when I have no choice, this is when the unhappyness begins. The reality is what do you choose to do, a degree does not guarantee success as many would like to think it does, A ticket in a trade gets you a certain wage in a union this is guaranteed but is that wage all that great meaning once you get your ticket, now you get 30 dollars and hour say... well what you get 20 years later probley the same thing plus inflation whether its on top of you or on the bottom is a different story. I realize this reads as a sales pitch or some type of internet scam type deal but I have read probley 80 books and watched 20 movies in the last 2 weeks discussing these types of ideas so that is how my mind is functioning. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fe-Wood Posted September 3, 2009 Share Posted September 3, 2009 sounds like you need to get out of the sun? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bryce Masuk Posted September 3, 2009 Author Share Posted September 3, 2009 hahah what exactly does that mean Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bryce Masuk Posted September 3, 2009 Author Share Posted September 3, 2009 if your refering to my signature its quote of Frederic Bastiatthis link has more of the story Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beth Posted September 3, 2009 Share Posted September 3, 2009 bryce i think that what you say is true of any walk of life or any dream being followed, its a matter of being realistic and positive and even if you end up working at macdonalds finding a way to indulge your passion for blacksmithing somewhere in your life. we are all in the same boat really to some degree. keep hold of what you love in your life - and if it earns you a living - even better:) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bryce Masuk Posted September 3, 2009 Author Share Posted September 3, 2009 (edited) My problem is this when I become interested in anything I really, really, feel compelled to do things that are far beyond my reach, I figured that i should build the gate in the front of book in colonial ironwork in old philidelphia the gate at St paul s church, (for some reason I figured this would be a good project with 2 months of knowledge) I knew I couldnt complete it yet the desire was there so traced it and then i drew it again and then i drew it to quarter scale then i put the drawing aside because I know I still cant do it yet. (one day I will and right now there is probley some wiz kid somewhere who can do it already at age 18 there is always someone who will absolutely blow you away with skills you just dont ever meet them they are always at work) I figure If I can make money I will have time to do as I please or at least have the option of that chance. maybe one day I will be able to do what I really want all the time, and i know that probley is not what other people want me to produce. but the reality is I need that security in order to do that. I really want to make huge sculptures on my own time and dollar who knows maybe one day someone will want to buy one for a price I can make a living from.. but who knows maybe that will never happen, would that stop me from making that a reality... Of course not. but it doesnt mean it will make me a cent or even make it so I will break even. I still want to do metalwork nothing will ever stop that, I just want to put other people to work doing it if they want to do the job, and still be involved in the design aspect. I think i have a few things that I can do in my area that most people dont do and provide it for a reasonable price. I am also trying to partner with more experianced people to better myself and run the shop, but primarily they dont know how to run a business they are skilled tradesmen but not involved in this aspect, So I must take up this role to further everyone involved, I Must come up with all the bases, Where most trades people do not take care of and do not become successful as a business because of lack of knowledge. I see alot of people barely making it by with tons of skills and knowledge in their field but no concept of how a business should be run. as an instance my dad was an incredible tradesman yet our family could not afford a television or any other luxury items, Edited September 3, 2009 by Bryce Masuk in brackets Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Einhorn Posted September 3, 2009 Share Posted September 3, 2009 Bryce, I am not sure what you are trying to say. The impression that I get is that you are very unhappy because you are working at McDonalds while learning to blacksmith. Over the past 36 years I have made a few observations: - many more thousands of people are doing blacksmithing now than there were 36 years ago - the market for hand-made crafts and ironwork has not grown larger - the folks that are able to stick with blacksmithing tend to primarily focus on having a career, with blacksmithing as a hobby - the world economy is petty bad and getting worse - as the economy gets worse, opportunities for selling products will become fewer. My humble advise, for what little it is worth, is to focus on getting and keeping a job to support you and any dependents. Then do blacksmithing as a hobby working on projects that provide enjoyment and polish your skills. Then if and when your products become "in demand" you can reevaluate your life situation. Best wishes, Live long and prosper, Dave E. :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bryce Masuk Posted September 4, 2009 Author Share Posted September 4, 2009 Dave I work as a fabricator, currently and I dont mind it. I wouldnt work in any retail or resturant business. While I am watching other people fail in large scale business's and such I am currently using the weak economy to get all the scrap jobs others are leaving behind. I dont have their overhead and am willing to play ball with your average person while things turn bad I am finding away to make it all work somewhat and working with what i have all be it probley too much I am trying to gain ground and its CONSTANT work but i need to keep focus Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.