When the hobby becomes work... and the excitement fades.... !!

Glad some people have found something they love that also allows them to make enough money to live. 99.99% of people don't really like their jobs and are--as Lover Boy once sang--"working for the weekend!"
 
I make knives, fencing swords, and jewelry as a full time self employed business, it occupies most of my waking hours one way or another.
I lost my day job a year ago and have been developing the business from a part time side gig to a full time profession. I have a part time job at the local supermarket to fill in around the edges and make sure the payments on my Harley continue so it doesn't get repo'd. It is work, and I have to treat it as such, sometimes I make something just because I want to, usually my Damascus knives fall into that category, everything else is business

-Page
 
Matthew Gregory said:
Make.
What.
You.
Want.

Don't feel pressure to reach beyond, unless the pressure comes from within. I spent all last year striving to make knives that weren't my style, and hated it. Wasn't satisfied with any of it, and it showed in the work. Felt like I was struggling with it, and it sucked.
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I agree 100%. I learned real quick that if I made and sold my knives on an custom order base only I would lose interest real quick. Make the knives you want to make when you want to make them, and how you want to. No deadlines, no deposits. I only take orders for a select few of my longtime customers. I make a batch if they sell they sell, if they don't they don't.

Also, Rick is 100% right about knives as your hobby vs. as your living. I say pick one and run with it. I chose to make knives my living. I was working a horrible graveyard shift at a Big Orange box store 8-10hrs an night 5-6 days a week, were the only full, 24hr day I had off was Sunday, along with remodeling my house(and later selling it), AND trying to make knives. I did not work for me, I had the energy and time to work on knives maybe once every few weeks if I was lucky, and when I did I was not inspired nor excited, it felt like a chore and sometimes even a burden. This led me to eventually, avoid the shop completely. I decided one day to make a change and take a risk. I left my job and started making knives full-time. For the first year+ I was making much less(next to no) money, but I was so much happier and excited to work in the shop again.

That being said, there will still be days when you just don't "feel it" in the shop. Those are good days to try something new, or even take a day-off(just don't make it a habit). But I would not trade it for my former job for a million dollars and a gun to my head.
 
Take my advice with a grain of salt.

Don't take orders unless it is for a knife you really want to make.
Don't take payment up front because then you are working to pay a debt.
Make knives in a style you like, doing the very best work you are capable of, and then put it up for sale.
Every once in a while make something fun and unusual just because you can.
 
Life is just too short to do anything you hate, except maybe in small doses when you really do need the money. I'm coming to the end of a six-month temporary (well, the employer doesn't know it's temporary) gig doing the same mind-dumbing work I did ten years ago for less money. The key words here are temporary and END. :D But it's helped us get our heads above water and I've never been more excited about getting back to working full-time in my own shop.

It's really hard to maintain a demanding job and keep up with orders and make your own designs. Luckily I'm getting to a point where knife stuff is truly competing with my "real" job, so that's a big boost both to my ego and general state of mental happiness. In short I think Rick is right, at some point you just have to take the plunge. Cheese an rice, if he can do it, anyone can :D

Justin's post reminded me that I really can't remember the last time I made a knife strictly for myself. Not a client, family member, GAW, but ME. I need to address that problem!

Sorry for rambling, I hope some of that made sense.
 
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I am happy to read Nick's post. Although rewarding, knifemaking is also hard work for me. A few aspects, like engraving, shaping guards handles and such, feel a little more relaxing as they are more creative and improvised. But all the profiling, slotting guards, hand sanding (worst one for me), etc, that's hard work.

Sadly it's probably because like Nick, I don't just want to do it but do it well. I wish I could be satisfied with making simple, ok knives. I mean I play a little guitar. I know a few chords and can scratch my way through a few basic songs. But it is fine by me and I have no desire to improve. I am perfectly happy with being a mediocre player. Why can't I be like that with knifemaking? :(

I don't envy you as far as the selling part is concerned. I wanted to start selling myself since as you get better, the need for better tools and materials increases greatly. But as I am beginning to question that endeavor. :(
I am very critical of my own work and maybe too much to ever be able to sell a knife. I mean this is still a luxury product and it is not cheap money. In this uncertain economy, I feel humbled that someone would put up a good chunk of hard earned change to buy something I made. I want them to get their money's worth and as I find things wrong when I am building a knife (things I am unable to fix or at least in a timely manner) I fear they won't. On the other hand lowering the price is not a good idea. First you don't want to be known for selling underpriced knives and it would not be fair to people trying to make a living at this who could just not match these prices and keep it profitable.

Anyway, sorry for the rant. :o I still love to make knives, just going through ups and downs like everyone else I imagine. I sure hope you figure it out.
 
james terrio said:
In short I think Rick is right, at some point you just have to take the plunge. Cheese an rice, if he can do it, anyone can :D
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I wub u 2, Mr T.:cool:

I think everyone has been making great points. The real-world advice that gets shared on this forum is invaluable and appreciated.:thumbup:
 
I agree with Terrio being right about Rick being right about me, but Patrice is way off base with agreeing with Wheeler agreeing with Salem. Those guys are total losers!
 
Knifemaking is the best job I've ever had. I love creating the tools. Pics of them getting used really charges my battery. Repeat customers too. I never realized how much I detested my career until I started doing something I love to do. My body hurts at the days ending but its a good sore and tired feeling.
 
Fiddleback said:
Knifemaking is the best job I've ever had. I love creating the tools. Pics of them getting used really charges my battery. Repeat customers too. I never realized how much I detested my career until I started doing something I love to do. My body hurts at the days ending but its a good sore and tired feeling.
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That's a great post!
 
Rick Marchand said:
Sounds like you have a job and knives are your hobby. You can't treat them both the same. If you want to make a job of knifemaking there is no "easing into it" you either make the jump or keep it as a hobby that makes a bit of money. If you want to keep your day job, DON'T take knife orders at all. Just make them when you can and post them when they are done. NO DELIVERY DATES or MONEY UPFRONT. You are obviously wearing yourself thin and continuing on this path will kill your love for making knives.

Do you think it is viable to quit your job and start taking orders? If the answer is "Yes" go for it. If the answer is "Maybe" request a leave and give it a shot. If the answer is "NO" keep to your day job and amke knives when you feel like it.... and do not take orders!

Rick
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I think this is spot on for me. I made this decision recently, and I've yet to actually deliver a knife for money yet.
Figure people are drawn to YOUR knives, so make YOUR knives. The demand for the infinite variety of handmade knives appears to be tremendous. Personally, I had very definite ideas about my "line" before even starting, so I'm going to stick with Rick's advice for the time being. (and no, I don't think I could do this fulltime anyway - I just want it to cover costs right now.) Custom orders and long lists of deadlined orders aren't part of my current plan.

-Daizee
 
I could copy/paste and comment on every post, all excellent perspectives that help me file it away for future reference...

@ Rick, I completely hear you about going from six figures to 5 but I've learned from my other business', that's the cost you pay for a start-up company.. I've been in business since '97 and although my company was extremely successful I got tired of keeping up with the Jones' and decided to leave SoCal and move here to Okla where I continued to run my business in Cali for 18months before it dissolved because CA economy tanked... I have a business here currently but I've downsized to just me and part-time help.. and work is slim at best. My wife has landed a job after being a stay-at-home mom for the last 11 yrs so this is a sigh of relief for me as I have 3 kids and all that goes with that to support.....

again, I have no intentions of making 'real' money doing this as my knives are 'mediocre' at best, but I enjoy making those knife shaped mediocre tools.. and the whole learning process has been a blast and I'd like to keep it that way.. While I make knives that I would enjoy to use I found out I had to sell them to help pay for some of the major expenses this hobby has consumed.. so now it becomes a professional service in which I'm payed for, which makes it work..:)

don't get me wrong I enjoy it, I guess having a few customers has just pushed me to look look at it as work and in a sense has taken some of the joy out of it, and I've learned already custom orders aren't for me and yes I've taken deposits before and that makes it worse because then you are bound to complete it before anything else you may want to do....
 
In all seriousness, Rick and Andy are the two guys I think of, and look up to, when it comes to taking the plunge. Simply because I remember when they were both just beginning to make knives, and quickly developing their own unique styles. :thumbup:

Robert, I believe you've answered your own questions to a large degree. Great discussion, gentlemen. (You too, Matthew)
 
james terrio said:
Robert, I believe you've answered your own questions to a large degree. Great discussion, gentlemen. (You too, Matthew)
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So long as you agree with me, everything's fine. It's that gort Wheeler I don't want to hear from. :D

Life's too short to make something you love suck, and most times we call work 'work' because it's something you have to do, not what you want to do. I made one of my life passions a career, and it certainly has altered it's passion of it for me.

I see where Nicky's coming from, but don't believe for a second that his concept of work fits the same as I have in this context. There's never been an instance where I've despised the idea of working on a knife, but I sure as hell have resented going to work!
 
That's where Salem's post comes in Matthew... "WORK" doesn't have to be a bad word. It just is for most people anymore.

I hope nobody took my comments as to say I don't like making knives. I love it. I just mean it has always been a struggle and I don't think any of it has ever been easy or relaxing.

It's kind of like working out. I used to hear people say they came to the gym to relax and blow off steem... Whereas for me, it was brutally hard work. Climbing into a squat rack with 405# on a bar is just about the furthest thing from relaxing I can think of. But it was rewarding.

My folks were known for saying things like "If it's worth doing, it's worth doing well" "Very few things in life that are good, come easy" etc..... And those types of things stuck with me and my knife making. It's been a tough road and just when one part of it seems to start getting smooth, you find a new hump to climb over. But it's something I love. :)
 
I agree with Patrice about Nick, but I don't agree with how Matthew and Rick agree about me. Matthew's just jealous that my hammer runs, and Rick's obviously Canadian. And a drummer. Wait, I'm a drummer too?!?!?!? Andy's OK in my book.

Right on Nick, in all seriousness. It is hard work and phsychically exhausting at times. But we work for ourselves, and for our own ends. And that's worth a lot of sweat equity!

I've told people before to go read "The Way" at Don Fogg's site, by Don, when they are worn out. I think however that it bears repeating. The man is a master with knives, and with words.
 
Fortunately I am able to set mine down for months at a time when I feel like that. Not taking orders and working only on what I feel like, making them all spec blades helps too. I also never take a down payment...just more pressure.

Good luck!
 
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