the problem is I'm not using much creativity, and virtually no innovation....................but all I see is the work, not the stuff I want to do.
I can be the same way, but I have actually found some level of "delight" in refining the things I do routinely. Closed-end fountain pens are kinda my specialty in my market---not that I can come ANYWHERE close to Anthony or Lou (at least I don't have to compete with them around here :biggrin::biggrin::biggrin::biggrin
.
After making 5 or 6 of them in one day (often identical pens purchased by an organization) it gets a bit boring. But I find myself finding just how hair-shaving razor sharp I can make my skew chisel (which does 99.5% of my turning) with my wet/dry grinder (cheap knock-off Sheppach), how smooth I can make each cut, and how "dead-nuts" I can get each end of the barrel to mate up with the pen part.
Not that I necessarily sweat those details legalistically.... but I do it, I reckon, to entertain myself when it gets a bit redundant with everything else.
but that's the stuff that sells two of the shows are monsters, probably 70% of my years sales.
Hmm. Unless this is income you are dependent on, I think your prices need to go up on the things you are most bored with
and you start making a few nutso-freakin-expensive pens (like the $200-300 range) to make your $35 slimline appear to be EXACTLY what it is--- a well made, handcrafted pen that is well worth the price. Otherwise we can appear to be the dudes who make the cheapo plastic pens that cost $1 each.
I use the fun-n-expensive pens (which do, on occasion, sell) to show off just what I can do.... which admittedly isn't what YoYoSpin or Eagle have done. But still, pretty freakin cool compared to a crap plastic overprice name brand fountain pen.
but after seeing what Butch,Jim and Steven did in the casing contest I'm wondering what the He## I'm doing, and why is my stuff so bland and boring
Only you think that. There have been several customers I have that I took to THIS website and had them browse through the "Show Off Your Pens" forum just so that they can see the possibilities.
I've also taken them to YoYoSpin's album.
That shows them just how custom and personal every hand made pen is.
I have YET to have one of them ask me to reproduce anything here on the forum, not even close. Most of the time they want something they "special pick" from some wood I have in front of them or from their own "sentimental" life, or a custom PR color (that I mix, or order from someone here) they want.
I don't think most people out there want the really schnazzy wild looking stuff. I've bought some very wild, beautiful, crazy handmade blanks before, and the pens just sit there.... meanwhile, I am selling normal desert ironwood, curly walnut, and some mallee burl just fine.
I like things simple. Complex stuff just gets expensive--- whether it's complex designs, complex finishing techniques.... complex glue-ups, complex kit malfunctions (I limit my kit selections VERY stricktly for this reason). I'm tending more and more to just having 50-75 pens made (no shows) and really doing more "made to order" stuff than anything else.
I also only make/sell about a dozen pen types. My customers have no idea how many pen kit varieties are out there, and really would just be overwhelmed. I stick to what I have had the best success with, what the customers like, and what I know is a reliable, sturdy pen.
I dunno if any of that helps... sorry if it's long
