Lonsdale73
Established Member
"You must have The Best Job in the World!" is a phrase I hear a lot, often from people who would like to do what I do sooooooo much that they muscle in and even edge me out.
I turned a childhood hobby into a livelihood but forget the adage about doing a job you love and never working a day in your life, there are times when it is hard work, ceases to be remotely enjoyable and one considers doing something else, something less sressful and better paid, like stacking shelves in Sainsbury's or serving in MacDonalds. However, this isn't about my woes.
In my field - quite literally - I am considered something of an authority, The Expert! Or Borderline Anorak as my less flattering erstwhile best mate terms it. As such, I am often called upon to impart my sage knowledge and pearls of wisdom to those with a desire to improve, usually so they can muscle in etc. Over the years, I have developed as much of a reputation for my patience and willingness to teach as the quality of my output. Much like driving a car, I've been doing it so long now, I can do things without thinking about it. I make it look easy because to me it is easy, NOW! after many years of study, learning and loads and loads of putting into practice the lessons learnt.
People often feel foolish asking me questions but why should they? Anything is obvious if you know how, like changing gears in a car, the thing that most put me off learning to drive for years. I mean, reading the description of the process as described in the "Learning to Drive" book I purchased I figured I was a least six feet short - and I don't mean in height! And I couldn't hear the engine telling me "Okay, change gear now, I'm ready for it."
If we were all born with the exact same knowledge then there would be no specialists, no experts. Maybe it's just me; I'm told I have a "gift" and I feel a duty to share that with whoever wants to benefit from it, although hopefully not to the detriment of my livelihood, such as it is. Should I mock them for not knowing what I know? Should I assume that having shared one nugget, everything else will fall immediately into place?
No, of course not. Life is one huge learning curve. I've been doing something for forty years now and I'm still learning. There are other topics that have come in at various points in my life, some the curve plateaued at a level that suited my requirements, some have possibly backslid, whether through lack of use or natural instinct giving way to trying too hard and I daresay more curves will be followed, most recent has been Sketchup.
I came to these forums as a newbie to woodworking. Through here and countless youtube videos I have learnt an awful lot in a relatively short space of time but I know I've still only barely scratched the surface. I know I will never know it all, I know there are things I'd like to know but reality is I'll probably never get round to.
To all those who have taken the time to advise me and many others like me, I thank you for remembering we're all beginners once and that the only stupid question is the one that isn't asked - although I have heard quite a few that threaten the validity of that last statement! To others, be like me. However frustrating it might be, I do my best to never tailgate or intimidate the bunny-hopping car in front of me because I remember exactly how nerve-wracking it was to be a learner driver!
I turned a childhood hobby into a livelihood but forget the adage about doing a job you love and never working a day in your life, there are times when it is hard work, ceases to be remotely enjoyable and one considers doing something else, something less sressful and better paid, like stacking shelves in Sainsbury's or serving in MacDonalds. However, this isn't about my woes.
In my field - quite literally - I am considered something of an authority, The Expert! Or Borderline Anorak as my less flattering erstwhile best mate terms it. As such, I am often called upon to impart my sage knowledge and pearls of wisdom to those with a desire to improve, usually so they can muscle in etc. Over the years, I have developed as much of a reputation for my patience and willingness to teach as the quality of my output. Much like driving a car, I've been doing it so long now, I can do things without thinking about it. I make it look easy because to me it is easy, NOW! after many years of study, learning and loads and loads of putting into practice the lessons learnt.
People often feel foolish asking me questions but why should they? Anything is obvious if you know how, like changing gears in a car, the thing that most put me off learning to drive for years. I mean, reading the description of the process as described in the "Learning to Drive" book I purchased I figured I was a least six feet short - and I don't mean in height! And I couldn't hear the engine telling me "Okay, change gear now, I'm ready for it."
If we were all born with the exact same knowledge then there would be no specialists, no experts. Maybe it's just me; I'm told I have a "gift" and I feel a duty to share that with whoever wants to benefit from it, although hopefully not to the detriment of my livelihood, such as it is. Should I mock them for not knowing what I know? Should I assume that having shared one nugget, everything else will fall immediately into place?
No, of course not. Life is one huge learning curve. I've been doing something for forty years now and I'm still learning. There are other topics that have come in at various points in my life, some the curve plateaued at a level that suited my requirements, some have possibly backslid, whether through lack of use or natural instinct giving way to trying too hard and I daresay more curves will be followed, most recent has been Sketchup.
I came to these forums as a newbie to woodworking. Through here and countless youtube videos I have learnt an awful lot in a relatively short space of time but I know I've still only barely scratched the surface. I know I will never know it all, I know there are things I'd like to know but reality is I'll probably never get round to.
To all those who have taken the time to advise me and many others like me, I thank you for remembering we're all beginners once and that the only stupid question is the one that isn't asked - although I have heard quite a few that threaten the validity of that last statement! To others, be like me. However frustrating it might be, I do my best to never tailgate or intimidate the bunny-hopping car in front of me because I remember exactly how nerve-wracking it was to be a learner driver!
