Motivation

Timbuck

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I don't know how you Pro builders do it ! ...I have had a rest from making ukes for the last three months and I have just started on the first uke of 2015, and my heart isn't really in it ..The body and the neck are completed and it's got the making of becoming a great instrument...all that needs doing, is gluing them together
and fitting the bridge nut and tuners and it's done...But! I just can't get in the mood. :(...Maybe when the weather gets a bit warmer ??

It's a good job I don't do it for a living..I'd starve ;)

*Edit* The wifes just gone out shopping and asked me to wash the dishes while she's gone...and I don't feel like doing that job either :uhoh:
 
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I feel just about the same as you Ken!

I'm sitting in my warm house (22 C) and it's about 2 C outside. There's ice on my workshop roof (its actually a glass conservatory) and if I turn on my electric heater it doesn't raise the temperature more than a few degrees.

I'm part way through my first pineapple tenor but am having difficulty completing it. Some days I simply don't have the mental capacity to carry out any delicate work: I know I would spoil the work to date.

I'm definitely someone who struggles in Winter: I've spent a couple of Winters trekking/backpacking in NZ (where it was Summer) and loved it! Unfortunately I cant do that every year.

I force myself to go to the gym and run a few miles on the treadmill: once I'm there, no mental effort is required and afterwards I feel much better. Roll on Spring.
 
I'm not lacking in motivation but I'm avoiding doing anything too strenuous in the workshop as it's too damned hot. Not bragging, just saying.
It's not a lot of fun operating power tools when you're wringing wet and can't see properly for the sweat in your eyes.
Thankfully there are plenty of unfinished jobs that don't require too much exertion.
Miguel
 
Many times I have to just start doing and the motivation then kicks in. A wise man once told me motivation follows action.
 
I hear what you are saying Timbuck. Feeling a bit the same way myself lately and I think a lot about why I build ukuleles. I mean really, if you don't sell the things, how many ukuleles does a person really need? Why I build them: I love working with wood and what other wood working project is not only beautiful but functional? I've built other pretty woody things like furniture, boxes, houses, etc., but they just sit there. (No jokes here about how my ukes sound like furniture... please). Name another woody project that sings when you are done? There is something to me that approaches the mystical. It helps that I'm a player so I get to enjoy them by playing them as well as looking at them. If I wasn't a player then they might just become, well, pretty furniture.

What motivates a pro to go into his shop on a hot (or freezing cold) day is another thing from what motivates an amateur like me. I suspect in the pro it is a combination of pride of craftsmanship, reputation and $$$, (among other things). Sometimes I ask myself why do I, as an amateur, go into the shop on a crappy day well I might not be feeling that well to do very difficult and exacting work in the absence of $$$. I don't really have an answer except I love making art and nothing approaches sublime art like a beautiful musical instrument like an ukulele.

What you need Timbuck is a challenge. I might be mistaken, but didn't you build the packing crate oak uke? That was a challenge for sure. How about a nice 6 six string uke? My ultimate challenge is getting an uke that sounds really, really good which means I spend a lot of time thinking about top wood and bracing. Therein lies the ultimate challenge in uke building in my opinion. The good news is that this is a challenge I will never actually attain. The bad news is this is a challenge I will never actually attain.
 
And then there is Sven who questions why he keeps his office job going......when he prefers doing woodwork. I think that when a hobby becomes a job, it can become less motivating........ :confused:
 
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And then there is Sven who questions why he keeps his office job going......when he prefers doing woodwork. I think that when a hobby becomes a job, it can become less motivating........ :confused:
I should in fairness say that my day job is far from a crap gig. This morning I've so far squeezed in a three mile run along the beach of the Mediterranean sea, and won't go to the construction site for the new Swedish embassy until I've finished this rather lovely hotel breakfast. Miss... some more coffee please (and another of those lovely smiles).
 
I should in fairness say that my day job is far from a crap gig. This morning I've so far squeezed in a three mile run along the beach of the Mediterranean sea, and won't go to the construction site for the new Swedish embassy until I've finished this rather lovely hotel breakfast. Miss... some more coffee please (and another of those lovely smiles).

Enjoy it while you can Svennie mate...The next gig could be in Donetsk ;)
 
Build something different then sopranos Ken- All the engineers ive ever know need to push themselves intellectually to be happy. Have a crack at a mandolin, parlour guitar, Bouzouki, or harp uke or something outside your comfort zone :)
 
Winter is depressing. I got badly injured and can't do most sports any more, but I think when I did do sports, then I looked forward to winter in general. So I am trying that a little. I was x-country skiing today, though I am not in the shop at the moment...
 
I think there's an element of wanting what you can't have. If you were prevented from going into your shop, you'd wish to all the more. When other responsibilities keep me from the shop, I daydream and plan for the next time I can get back there. Come over to New Hampshire and help plow snow. You'll pine for the shop in no time.:)
Regards, and please don't stop.
Ron B
 
For me, motivation comes from what has gone before. What I mean is, I had more motivation to build ukes in my old shop that had evolved into a well organized place that was a pleasure to work in regardless of the hot, humid Florida weather. My new shop in Texas is twice the size, but as I have been more involved with remodeling the new home, I have yet to be motivated enough to set up a proper lutherie shop. I should also mention though that I seem to lack the motivation to finish the remodeling projects! :wallbash:
 
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