So, how do you break "turners block"

[Curt Fuller]

Not to hijack Double D's thread, but as a continuation of the process, What do you do to get out of the slump, the turners block? Do you spend your way out of it with a trip to the burl store (online or in person)? Do you go through your wood stash and try to find something you tucked away long ago and forgot you had? Do you look at something you've liked to turn and think of a new way to enhance or improve on it? I'm in the slump myself, the weekend is ahead and I'd really like to have a great idea pop into my head.

[neil mackay]

To date have not had this problem. I have on hand, usually a minimum of 20 or so bowls, vases etc waiting to be finished. I also collect images of bowls, vases etc off the net and save to a reference file and now I have several hundred as well as this I have a number of books of shape and form from various other craft areas such pottery.
Plus I am always on the look out for timber and with that I often sit down and draw up a shape on the blank as reference for when I get around to it.
Follow that up with Christmas and Birthdays etc, I could retire to morrow and have still have a full time job, :D

[John Keeton]

Curt, since I am trying to break out of this situation, as soon as I figure out the answer, I will let you know!!:D;) I have completed another turning, but am still somewhat at a loss of what to do next. Seems the juices are flowing again, but the flow rate is pretty low!:o

I have a folder of pics that I kept when I first started turning, but I haven't added much to it over the last several months. When I started turning, much of what I did was taken from other turnings - an idea here, combined with one from there type thing. But, as I got deeper into it, there were many things that just came to mind. At times, there have been several of those, and I should have done rough sketches, but I left it to memory. Of course, the memory and those thoughts are long gone - too long in the tooth to rely on that!!

[Roger Chandler]

but am still somewhat at a loss of what to do next.

John,

I gave you an idea, maybe it is time to consider it again.........most likely, of all the turners I know, you would be the one who could pull it off..........

............a hollow form with mirrored collar and a crystal in the finial.........along the theme of "reflections." Curt, or anyone else who would like to do a take off on that theme, then it would be interesting to see the different renderings on this.................

..........hummm.........sounds like a suggestion for a New years turning contest to me.............hummm.........I'm just sayin' :D

[Michelle Rich]

Go Fishing!

[Roger Chandler]

Go Fishing!

Michelle............that almost always works! Certainly couldn't hurt! ;):)

[John Keeton]

Roger, an interesting concept!! I sent you a PM with some logistical considerations for this idea. But, you are starting to think like an arteest!! You would look good at the pulpit with a beret!;):D

[Roger Chandler]

Roger, an interesting concept!! I sent you a PM with some logistical considerations for this idea. But, you are starting to think like an arteest!! You would look good at the pulpit with a beret!;):D

John,

An "Arteeest?" .......Oh my! :eek::eek::eek::eek::D John, I sent you a return PM with some ideas on how to do this.............

[Bernie Weishapl]

Curt having several other hobbies other than woodturning (amatuer radio, clock restoration, woodburning, fishing, golf) I usually just get away from it for a while. Most times within a few days to maybe a week or so I am back at it. I don't know if it is something I see like a picture, piece of wood, or something that sparks the urge again or what.

[Jim Burr]

I'm with Bernie on this. Just step back and get another focus. (Bernie...KJ6KCS Yaesu vx-5) Sometimes I'll see something around town that gives me an inspiration, or someone orders a pen or pepper mill. More often than not, someone here post something that I want to have a lash at. Usually just walking away for a day or or 5 works well.

[David E Keller]

I'm not sure there's a 'one size fits all' approach to breaking it, but I tend to buy/look for wood or new tools. That's pretty much my solution to everything these days. I've also been known to walk the isles of Hobby Lobby or similar places and look at the glass and ceramic pieces for inspiration. I've found some 'new to me' ideas from looking through the photo albums on this and other sites. Lately I've been just working on old, standard forms with an effort to get them right. Most of the time, a trip through the archives here is enough to get things going.

[Dennis Ford]

I agree with David that "one size fits all" does not work. I have quite a few rough outs ready to finish, lots of them will be plain bowls. It does not take much inspiration to turn a plain bowl, so I can work on those or make more rough outs until a more creative idea takes hold. I tend to have an excess of ongoing projects so I just move to another if one of them gets boring.

[David DeCristoforo]

It would seem that if there was an "easy answer" to that question, it would not be an issue in the first place! As DK said, there is no "one size fits all" method. But it would seem that some form of alternate activity is usually involved. The one thing I do know is that trying to force your way through it is the least productive "technique". Basically this "blockage" is a manifestation of negativity in one form or another. And negativity has the unique characteristic of being able to grow by feeding on itself.

Another interesting thing is that this phenomenon seems to strike at the most unlikely times. John K was speaking of it just a few days ago. But a week before that, he was stoked on a whole new direction in his turning with his plunge into beading and southwestern forms. One would have thought that he would have been on a creative roll at that point.

One thing I try to do is to just "turn it over to the higher powers". I have a technique for "clearing" negative energy that I do several times a day and often that, combined with refocusing my mind on other matters, will usually break me out of the slump.