How do you cope

Timbuck

Timbuck

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Today I got out of bed had breakfast..looked at the TV went on the Web etc:..and then try'd to decide what I'm going to do with the rest of the day..I looked at a bunch of uke's I'm working on but my intrest is not there anymore :( there's nothing wrong with e'm but I just don't feel like working on e'm today...So I don't.."maybe tomorrow, maybe never, who cares?" i say to my self:(.....Now and again I go off the the boil like this..But it dosn't really matter..I don't do it for a living..I don't do commision work..The mortgage is paid off..The kids have all grown up and look after themselves (Well almost :))...It's at times like this, I wonder how the "Guys who do it for a living" cope when they feel this way? and do have all these commitment's..Do you just get stuck in and work at e'm regardless of mood?..Do you take a few days off or what?..Or maybe you never feel like that.
 
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I find that I definitely have days that I don't want to step into the shop. Most of those days I generally feel like I am moving in slow motion and that I am more likely to make mistakes. My problem is that I have to get stuff done, I have set myself goals and deadlines, so if I don't work I don't meet my deadline... I hate being late. So I work through the day, set my self small goals to achieve and go to it.

I also find that I work in cycles, if I have an unmotivated day that I don't want to work or don't get much done, I tend to have a couple days that I am very productive and you can't drag me out of the shop.

My solution is to take those days that I don't want to work on whatever I am working on, and clean up the shop, make a new jig or 2, and do the little things that are different that I have been putting off, or just havent gotten too.
 
Well I don't have any experience whatsoever with building ukuleles, but psychology will tell us that your life is getting repetitive! You've got this awesome Style O Soprano business down to a science. Try making something new! Whether it be a banjo, guitar, tiple, etc, you should definitely try making some new things to spice the process up.
 
I had a very similar experience many times in the past, although not with ukuleles!I used to build large R/C aeroplanes, some days i didnt even want to look at the darn things! But you leave it for a few days, then all of a sudden the interest is back! It is very disheartening to go through those periods of zero interest though.

Hope it gets better for you!
 
I think its the difference between being a job and a hobby. If its a job, then you really haven't a choice if you want to pay the bills and fill the fridge. As a hobbyist, it becomes an easier choice. Zac987 nailed it. You need to mix it up. That's actually how I got in to building ukes. I was having a hard time getting myself to get in the shop to build mandolins so I decided on trying something new. I also have several other projects in process that are ongoing, a tenor guitar and octave mandolin, that I can revert to "recharge" me. Building the same thing tends to become repetitive and mind numbing. I also recently bought an old Jeep to restore and that has been taking up some time too. Variation is healthy.
 
The key for me is to try to keep things fresh and new. Unlike you, I build in small batches of four and I always make sure that at least a couple of them excite or challenge me. One of the benefits of doing custom work is that I'm always doing something different and it often forces me out of my comfort zone. Every day is a new set of problems for me to tackle. And if I don't have problems I'm not pushing myself enough.
 
Ken, my observations re. your work as presented by your wonderful posts here is that you are fascinated with figuring out "how to do it".

The trouble is that once you figure it out, it then becomes mundane quotidian work. The thrill of the chase is gone, and your hobby has become a job.

You've figured out the vintage Martin thing as well as anyone I've seen. Time for a new game? Turn the tooling over to someone who just wants a nice job? Turn it into a "real" business? Oh, the choices...
 
Yup- What Rick said. When I was only building banjo ukes, I got that way around number 70 or so. That is when I started to work more on traditional ukes. Working with Gordon has pushed me so much that I haven't felt that way since, but it is only because of the multiple body and wood combos I am working with and a detailed and fast production schedule. Then the challenge becomes perfect building with peak efficiency
 
Hi Aaron

Talking of perfect building with peak efficiency...How many luthiers does MM have? I see your production level and amazed at how many instruments you guys do a year!
 
Maybe you need to take on a bit of custom work.

There are a ton of pieces of craftsman/mission/Stickley furniture that I would like to build for myself but it almost never gets me down to the shop to do it. But if an acquaintance, friend or family member comes to me with a problem or a something specific they want or need, I'm down in the shop the next available opportunity.

Those projects don't come out quite as nice as the ones I do for myself because I am often outside my comfort zone and have not mulled it over in my head for months before pushing a board into a blade. But the "client" always seems pretty happy with the results and some of them are pretty discerning.

You have tremendous talent from what I have seen. I hope you find a way to revitalize yourself and contribute more to uke building.
 
I always get into a slump no matter what I am doing because my mind starts to drift and I want to get to that next project. What I do now is if I don't want to go to work I don't. I'll go to the beach or play my guitar/uke or just veg out. I can't see any point in standing at my bench and resenting every moment of it. I understand that this is frustrating for everyone else and clients especially who get their work late, but to do my best and maintain my reputation I have to have my best head on. This business comes at a price and a sacrifice. My thinking is that alongside that, I have to find the benefits. Today when I started to put together the 6 tenors I am working on and it all started to happen, I got a couple of payments and a customer was really happy with their ukulele, the post office admitted they overcharged me and gave me some money back I ended the working day happy but with very sore knees and a headache. On top of this i am doing my first gig in about 3 years....
 
I understand your feelings. Working by yourself you don't have the motivation of having others depending on your presence and production. It can be hard to get going. Someone told me a very important point, that motivation follows action and often not the other way around. This has helped me a lot. I know if I take myself by the hand and get out to the shop and start doing something the motivation will follow. It always seems to work.
 
Build some Style 2's . Sounds like you are in a rut.
 
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If it's repetitive and not challenging it bores me to tears and I just can't get motivated to continue.

That's why I like taking on commissions, as not one of them has ever been for anything plain. And the challenge to hit all the design criteria excites me. Then there is always something different that I'm working on. Many don't ever make it before I decide it's not working out, but the ideas get tried and perhaps modified for something else.

And then the really exciting part for me is teaching. It might just be the same old simple instrument that you've made a 100 or more of, but for the student it's exciting and fresh. That's invigorating. Not to mention challenging especially when things go pear shaped for them, and your left working a miracle to save their precious instrument.
 
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The advantage of being your own boss is that you can do what you like. So when I hit those ruts, like many here I do something different. I don't build in batches, had to much of that back in the cabinet days, so I often have more than one instrument on the go, and mostly at different stages. It helps keep things fresh. Think about another style, or even a different instrument as something fresh and challenging. Which all adds up pretty much to what all the above have suggested! ;)
 
Sven! I'd love to come and visit..But not at this time of the year...Anyway my passport expired in 1972 and I never renewed it..I'm feeling a bit better now and i did a bit of turning on the lathe this afternoon re-shaping a pile of tuner buttons...and I did a bit of R&D on a foam hot wire cutting machine that my Son and I are building for his business.
 
nongdom- Mya-Moe has three luthiers, Gordon, Char and I. I only build four days a week on average because of my performing schedule. We also have Ben making parts, jigs, fixtures, etc...and Neil helps out a couple of days a week.
 
Hi Ken

I tend to agree with those who suggested you try some different designs...your style o sopranos are the bees knees and you have that uke down as close to perfect as you could ever hope to ...why not build a concert or tenor scale...try some bling - bindings, inlays etc - and perhaps a style 2 as suggested..something to break the monotony of the repetition with the style o's? Just my 2c mate. I love your work.
 
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