Please help me get inspired

[Beau]

Hi all

Bit of a long shot but hope you can help

I have worked as a self employed cabinet maker for 25+ years but have found it harder and harder to motivate myself. In the last few years I have made a living from another avenue. I still get asked to make pieces but just can't face it and turn jobs away most of the time. Not made anything of note for nearly a year and to be honest don't miss it but feel guilty as this is waste of my skill. My current work is not something I can do for ever and is pretty much unskilled so would like to get back to the woodwork in due course. Sorry if I don't come over well but I am dyslexic and struggle to express myself via the written word. Any thought as to how to get my head around making again?

Beau

 

[Zeddedhed]

I don't think you should feel guilty about wasting a skill or talent. There are loads of people who don't use their main skill for a variety of reasons.
The questions you should be asking yourself are:

What do you WANT to do?
What will make you happy?
What will fulfil you?

I think that these questions are much more important than thinking about paying the bills etc.

If you are not happy and fulfilled in your work you may end up financially secure but thoroughly miserable. And with the financial instability we've all come to know and love of late you could end up broke and miserable.

Go for what floats your boat and see if it can be made financially viable.

If making fills you with dread then don't do it. Do something else.

HTH

 

[Monkey Mark]

Hi all

Bit of a long shot but hope you can help

I have worked as a self employed cabinet maker for 25+ years but have found it harder and harder to motivate myself. In the last few years I have made a living from another avenue. I still get asked to make pieces but just can't face it and turn jobs away most of the time. Not made anything of note for nearly a year and to be honest don't miss it but feel guilty as this is waste of my skill. My current work is not something I can do for ever and is pretty much unskilled so would like to get back to the woodwork in due course. Sorry if I don't come over well but I am dyslexic and struggle to express myself via the written word. Any thought as to how to get my head around making again?

Beau

I suppose everything works differently for different people. I can't say what will get you inspired, but I can tell you what worked with me.

I have a full time job, a wife who needs some support and four children. I found that I wasn't doing anything and by that I mean other than to go to work or shop I was rarely leaving the house. No socializing and no hobby/pass time. I had tried to do a few things but getting the time out of the house always proved hard work and more hassle than it was worth. This started to really get me down to the point I now suffer from depression. I decided I needed something to do that, ideally, was based at home and most importantly I could enjoy.
As it happened I worked with two lads who both enjoyed woodwork, one of which is a qualified cabinet maker. I wasn't really interested in it but I would watch as they made the odd thing as I always believe that you should learn whenever possible. The more I watched the more interested I became which led me to watching YouTube videos made by the likes of Steve Ramsey, Jay Bates, Mathias Wandel, Izzy Swan, Paul Sellers, Stumpy Nubs and a few others that I can not remember.
I am still In the very early stages and haven't yet got my workshop (read, too full garage) set up properly so I am very limited as to what I can make. I look for the simple projects which look like fun as that is my limit but I often come across projects which make me think "Yeah, I'd like to be able to make that when I improve" which is the main thing that inspires me to keep going. Keeping it fun helps in the now and having those items as goals really gives me the drive to keep going, learning and progressing for the future.
I also like tinkering with anything electrical so whenever possible I try to combine the two together. Whilst at work I often find myself coming up with ideas or projects, which again encourages me to keep plodding on.

Sorry for the rambling post. As said, I cant tell you what will work for you, but maybe going back to basics and looking for fun projects would help. It has with me.

 

[Beau]

Thanks you two

Zeddedhed.

Thanks for that. I agree with what you say and like my current line of work but is very physical and I am not getting any younger. Going to have to go back to the tools sooner or later. Don't have any qualifications so not going to have many options. Never been too fussed about money and live a lifestyle that does not require much so that's a blessing.

Monkey Mark.

Don't apologise for rambling this is just the sort of thing I am after. So you got inspired by watching others. Often wonderd about working with others but not done so since my training in 1988 after so many years on my own suspect I would be a complete nightmare to work with, hmmm probably was then :lol:

 

[YorkshireMartin]

How about passing on your knowledge by taking an apprentice or offering private lessons if your workshop could be made suitable? Young people are really in a spot when it comes to finding training provision these days, so I'm told. Heck, what about adults. Like me for example. I'd love to do an apprenticeship, but who'd have me at my age.

When I had the opportunity to programming (my former profession) in the past, I often found it far more satisfying than dealing with some of the mundane projects that came into the studio.

 

[mind_the_goat]

Are you near Exeter, there is a fablab there ( https://www.fablabdevon.org/), not strictly woodwork but maybe meeting up with people involved with making in general would help provide inspiration and maybe you could get involved in other projects or offer to coach people.

 

[Beau]

Like the idea of teaching/coaching others. Presume a fair few qualifications would be needed to do so? Exeter is doable from here.

 

[Zeddedhed]

You don't need any qualifications to take on an apprentice. You don't have to do it as a formal apprenticeship. I took on a young lad from the village, he got registered for CIS and Self Employed and he's learning. Job done. He loves it, it keeps me young (listening to Gangsat Rap on the workshop Hi Fi) and he gets to do all the heavy lifting!!

If he wants a formal qualification thats up to him. I give him a job and teach him what i know.

 

[Beau]

You don't need any qualifications to take on an apprentice. You don't have to do it as a formal apprenticeship. I took on a young lad from the village, he got registered for CIS and Self Employed and he's learning. Job done. He loves it, it keeps me young (listening to Gangsat Rap on the workshop Hi Fi) and he gets to do all the heavy lifting!!

If he wants a formal qualification thats up to him. I give him a job and teach him what i know.

Presume the workshop has to meet quite a bits of safety regs. Fire exits, air quality and braked motors etc.

 

[RobinBHM]

Maybe you got stale doing cabinetmaking, there's no shame in getting a bit lost in your career and going down another path for a while. I would relax and enjoy what you do at the moment and re-visit the cabinetmaking when you feel positive about it.

If you go back to the cabinetmaking, think carefully what you need to change to make it enjoyable so you have the drive. If nothing changes and you start cabinetmaking again with the same frame of mind you might find the lack of motivation descend like a black cloud. Its best to leave the cabinetmaking alone until you have worked out what it is thats causing the lack of motivation towards the work.

Working on your own in a workshop can be a lonely existence for some people. Sometimes have a second pair of hands working with you makes the jobs turn around much quicker which can encourage more positive frame of mind. (conversely an apprentice can also halve your rate of work! -you can end up working hard to keep somebody else busy).

Yes employing somebody in your workshop doe have its own issues regarding safety etc.

 

[Zeddedhed]

Presume the workshop has to meet quite a bits of safety regs. Fire exits, air quality and braked motors etc.

Yes it does. I've got modern braked machines , there's a big door and plenty of windows. That covers the Fire and Air issues

 

[Adam9453]

Hiring an apprentice through the official route isn't too taxing either, basically you contact your local college and say you are interested in taking on an apprentice. They will guide you through the rest and whilst there is some paper work to complete, its not too much and they are normally good at helping with that, particularly if you tell them you have dyslexia and find paperwork difficult to complete.
The other crucial point is they will come and do an audit/survey of your premises to see whether it meets health and safety standards etc.
This can be a good thing because you might find they don't require you to do as much work as you think. I would get them round and discuss it openly with them. They will then recommend what changes you might need to make to meet the requirements. This would at least give you a list of work required to cost up whether it is viable to make the changes required to have an apprentice.
The other aspect will be to consider, payroll for them, HR stuff, pensions which is coming in November next year, employers liability insurance and so on. If you are working on your own, you obviously don't need a lot of these things but employing one person can result in a fair amount of extra admin. Do you have anyone that can help with the admin so you can focus on the work and training your apprentice (jedi master you could be)?

 

[custard]

Hello Beau, sorry to hear you've drifted away from your tools.

You say you can't face making furniture, even when you get commission enquiries, what in particular is the barrier? Is it the design process, dealing with the client, the actual making, or something else entirely? What would be different about a commission enquiry that might make you say, "yes"?

 

[Jacob]

Don't do bespoke one-offs it's a mugs game. If a thing is any good make a run of them : 5, 50, etc. depending on time and space. They get better and better and quicker and quicker. Economies of scale kick in quite soon and it's a different game altogether. Sod "commissions" - get out there (or on the net) and do some selling

 

[cornishjoinery]

yeah nothing like trying to get inspired again by mass producing something! lol. Commissions are the bread and butter of the business, dont start making stuff if you not going to get an money at the end of it. but you know all this, go on pintrest.com , there are thousands of pictures and photos of woodworking, that will get you inspired, go to a local joiners shop and hung around there, even watch a bit of norm.

 

[Beau]

Hello Beau, sorry to hear you've drifted away from your tools.

You say you can't face making furniture, even when you get commission enquiries, what in particular is the barrier? Is it the design process, dealing with the client, the actual making, or something else entirely? What would be different about a commission enquiry that might make you say, "yes"?

Thanks Custard

Hard to say exactly. Generally not too unhappy with the design process and still enjoy problem solving. I am hopeless at drawing but sketchup has helped me out more recently. I get into the workshop with good intentions but after an hour or so the mind is drifting and I become indecisive about about many aspects of the design and construction which have not been finalised. I work from home so it's easy for distractions to occur not helped by living on a working farm. I dwell on mistakes and the less I do the more mistakes creep in. Finishing has always been a chore. It would all be easier if I was pleased with my work but in reality I am sick of the sight of most pieces and dwell on the faults and can't wait to be rid of them. Sometimes take pleasure when seeing my work years later. After all these years I still can't quote accurately and have yet to overprice a piece. I guess it's not all supposed to be fun and many have to do soul destroying jobs for a living all of which adds to my guilt for not being happy with it all.

 

[Beau]

Don't do bespoke one-offs it's a mugs game. If a thing is any good make a run of them : 5, 50, etc. depending on time and space. They get better and better and quicker and quicker. Economies of scale kick in quite soon and it's a different game altogether. Sod "commissions" - get out there (or on the net) and do some selling

Sorry Jacob but think this would make me sell all my tools tomorrow. Yes I am mug who has never been motivated by money.

 

[Jacob]

Don't do bespoke one-offs it's a mugs game. If a thing is any good make a run of them : 5, 50, etc. depending on time and space. They get better and better and quicker and quicker. Economies of scale kick in quite soon and it's a different game altogether Why not . Sod "commissions" - get out there (or on the net) and do some selling

Sorry Jacob but think this would make me sell all my tools tomorrow. Yes I am mug who has never been motivated by money.

Lucky old you! Nothing to worry about then. Make stuff you really like and give it away?

 

[Beau]

Don't do bespoke one-offs it's a mugs game. If a thing is any good make a run of them : 5, 50, etc. depending on time and space. They get better and better and quicker and quicker. Economies of scale kick in quite soon and it's a different game altogether Why not . Sod "commissions" - get out there (or on the net) and do some selling

Sorry Jacob but think this would make me sell all my tools tomorrow. Yes I am mug who has never been motivated by money.

Lucky old you! Nothing to worry about then. Make stuff you really like and give it away?

:lol:

Not motivated by it but still require money to live.

 

[Jacob]

Actually it was a semi serious point. The arty/craftsman one-off commission "bespoke" is a bit of a romantic construction. Many of the great makers were not like that at all - Chippendale would make any old sh|te if it paid enough.
And if design is a prob then copy copy copy stuff you like and don't try too hard to be "creative". Creativity is for junior schools.
PS and put your prices up - think of a number double it and add £50