Dear Orchidians,
I want to apologize (especially to the other newbies, and to those
of you who have been so helpful to me) for the pessimistic tone of
some of my last post. The truth is, I have encountered incredible
generosity and experienced amazing good fortune since I started
trying to “make it in metal.” I may very well “make it.” And who
knows what the economy may bring? As Jackson Browne said, “Perhaps a
better world is drawing near…don’t let the uncertainty turn you
around…”
Lisa Orlando
Aphrodite’s Ornaments
Benicia, CA
Dear Orchidians, I want to apologize (especially to the other
newbies, and to those of you who have been so helpful to me) for
the pessimistic tone of some of my last post. . . . Lisa Orlando
Hi Lisa; Your post was indeed pessimistic, and I was tempted to
subject you to one of my probably now famous pep-talk-slash-rants.
Actually, it’s us oldsters who are more vulnerable to being put off
by a post like yours than the newbies. They’re fired up on this stuff
and you’ll find it hard to discourage them. Us geezers, I mean,
veterans, read a post like yours and are pained to find a way to
help, because it touches on our own history and our own
dissappointments and discouragement. But of course, I have a
solution, and as a fully accredited bench curmudgeon I emplore you to
give this some serious thought. You are going through withdrawal,
sort of. You’ve gotten used to working alone, living with your fears
and doubts, and the SNAG conference took you away from that for a
while, only to dump you back with that sick feeling that “if only it
could always be like that.” Well, I’m not going to go so far as to
say you can simply walk into a permanent state of SNAG conference,
but here’s a though. Why don’t you start a guild, as I have here in
Central New York? You can have little mini-snag conferences once a
month. Really, what I learned is this. . . you have to give it away
to keep it. Exercise your willingness to help others, thereby both
gleaning new knowlege from others and enjoying the privilege of
sharing knowlege with others. It’s all about perspective and not
having to re-invent the wheel every day of your life. Forget the
money (yeah, I know, hard to do). Settle for being happy and
fulfilled. You can always figure out a way to make a buck. Best of
luck.
David
For a look at the rebirth of the Arts and Crafts Movement come and
visit the Roycroft Campus in East Aurora, NY. Its happening here. We
have over 35 Craftsmen and women working as Roycroft Craftsmen
around the country in a rather spread out guild of sorts. We jury
these people very carefully before allowing them to use our mark on
their work. This done to preserve it as a mark of excellence as in
the past. For more info try the Webpage of the Roycrofters.
Alburn Sleeper Metalsmith