Motivation

[Roger Chandler]

Why do you turn? For experienced turners.........now that you have gotten to the point that you can be fairly accomplished at any form you attempt..........what motivates you?

- Enjoyment
- Artistic expression
- Profit
- other

This should be interesting!

[Marty Eargle]

I turn primarily as a hobby and for personal enjoyment. No one aside from my immediate family sees 95% of the work I do, and most of my works are sitting around my house somewhere. I really just enjoy hunting out the perfect chunks of wood, touching steel to wood, and seeing where it takes me. Occasionally I'll sell a piece...but never seek it out.

[Scott Hackler]

I turn 50% for enjoyment and 50% for artistic expression (mostly the same reason). I like the challenge of refining my pieces and trying to make each piece better than the last. I also really like "pushing the limits ans strive to turn things that are technically advanced. Sometimes it works, sometimes I destroy it! I haven't done the gallery thing yet and I think most of it is not taking the time to solicite some galleries. While I think some of my things would "fit in" at a gallery, I also enjoy experimentation and I know that those pieces wouldn't be gallery worthy.

The only thing close to selling something has been performing some trades with some very, very good turners. For me, that was as good as selling something as I tend to collect things I like anyway! It would sure be nice to sell something, so I could help sustain this "hobby"! :)

[Allan Ferguson]

I enjoy most of the time turning and the challenges that it presents. I am trying to make it pay for itself as much as possible.

[Jeff Nicol]

Turning is like anything that holds your attention and helps you relax from the normal stresses of everyday life. The thing about art of any sort the potential for profit is a bonus that goes with the hobby or pastime. Some of the lucky get to become pro golfers, hunters, fisherperson, etc as they find out they are good at their chosen hobby or passtime, but not everyone gets that rich off turning or painting daisies.

So with that being said with me pretty much everything I do is for the challenge and then when the challenge is mastered it is time for a new one, and in turning the challenges will be there for a long time as others push the boundaries of turning and tempt us to attain a new goal. But right now I am catching up on tunings and getting a bunch done to fill the shelves at the art gallery that represents me. I am now getting repeat customers and requests for special items that I had not done before and that is a good part of the selling of your work. Others will expand your horizens for you with those requests.

So start small and dream big and you will find the place that you fit best and be happy with that, or like me push a little harder to reach the next step.

Jeff

[David DeCristoforo]

You left out the most important motivators:

POWER!
WEALTH!!
FAME!!!
GLORY!!!!

And what better way to gain these than to spend your time making little round things that most people look at and scratch their heads and ask "What do you do with it?"

Forget about all that "I want to express my inner artistic self" crap. Personal satisfaction? Bah! Becoming overlord of the universe? Now there's a motivator for you.

[Rick Markham]

Becoming overlord of the universe? Now there's a motivator for you.

"It's all going according to my plan Muahahahahahahahaha!!!":D

While I LOVE turning, the self expression, and all the other what not. It really is nearly a compulsion for me, I have to do it to get rid of the obsessive, pervasive turning related ideas/thoughts out of my head. The only time I stop thinking about spinning round things is when there is a spinning round thing in front of me. Indeed it is a vortex, because my mind is ALWAYS swirling.

[Sid Matheny]

Helps keep me out of trouble! :D

Sid

[Roger Chandler]

Helps keep me out of trouble! :D

Sid

Now that is a great motivation! Good for you Sid..........might be the case for more of us if we would admit it! ;)

[Faust M. Ruggiero]

I was sick of flatwork projects that took me years. I figured I could get the satisfaction of a finished piece in an evening. That was before I started carving to embellish and experiment with dyes and leafing. I'm back where I started except my pieces aren't flat. I turn to relax but there is something in me that needs to make things that are beautiful and lasting. Now, if only I could do that.

[Gary Max]

Keeps food on the table and the lights on-----------not a easy task these days.

[John Beaver]

I am in the Artistic Expression / Satisfaction category.

I discovered turning at the same time my previous vocation (Photographer / Motion Picture Cameraman) was heading south. Surprisingly I find they both satisfy my artistic needs in similar ways. I have always tended toward endeavors that utilize both sides of the brain, and I like the combination of artistic and technical challenges in both turning and photography.

Sometimes in life you stumble upon something that just feels right, and for me that is turning. I just feel it is something I need to do, and although that has forced me to make it profitable, I do it to satisfy my artistic needs.

[Mike Peace]

I love the almost instant gratification of turning a piece. I also like the opportunities for camaraderie with other turners through shop visits, chapter meetings and hands on turning sessions. I enjoy the journey of skill development and improvement as I push into different areas related to woodturning including learning more about art, photographing woodturning, teaching and demonstrating woodturning, and writing. I have been newsletter editor for two different turning groups and am working on writing my fourth woodturning article for publication. I enjoy giving my turnings as gifts to people who marvel that someone they know actually made that beautiful object.

It is all good!

[Roger Chandler]

These are great responses so far..........I like hearing what motivates the people in this artistic endeavor..........your work inspires and your thinking about your motivations are inspirational as well..........

I hope more turners will post in this thread...........

[Ed Morgano]

DD has the right idea here! World dominance is what it's all about!!! Whoops! I meant Overlord of the Universe!

[Alan Trout]

For me it is an opportunity create something that I like. It is my expression. It makes me feel a sense of accomplishment and makes me happy. If it did not do these things I would not do it. The other things are just a bonus and not required for me to make.

Alan

[Bernie Weishapl]

It is mostly for pleasure and accomplishment. It is fun. If it sells then that is a bonus.

[Greg Just]

It's a stress reliever for me. After a long day at the office, it's a way to let my mind be creative in other ways and to forget about work.

[Clint Baxter]

Being able to take a chunk of wood and turn it into a finished product such as a pen, bowl, plate or platter in a short period of time is both relaxing and fulfilling to me. Unlocking the hidden beauty of the wood and being able to reveal it to others is icing on the cake.

And face it, it's mesmerizing to see the curlies of wood shooting off your chisel as you turn.

Clint

[Cheryl A. Prince]

As a teacher who after 28 years still loves her job, I get to mold little minds on a daily basis. It is very rewarding work and I know that I have a tremendous impact on my student's lives. However, I never really end up with a finished product that I can stand back and admire. The fruit of my labor is invisible in it's nature. At the end of a turning session I love that there is a physical object to look at, critique, and admire. I also turn to get away from the noise (only when the dust collector isn't running:rolleyes:) and stress of life. After dealing with people all day I love the solitude of my shop. It recharges me and makes me glad to see students again the next day. Being able to turn wood is a real gift. I feel for those who haven't found the joy that a hobby like turning can provide. We should consider ourselves among the fortunate.

[Dale Bright]

Being able to take a chunk of wood and turn it into a finished product such as a pen, bowl, plate or platter in a short period of time is both relaxing and fulfilling to me. Unlocking the hidden beauty of the wood and being able to reveal it to others is icing on the cake.

And face it, it's mesmerizing to see the curlies of wood shooting off your chisel as you turn.

Clint

Clint said what I had been trying to come with for two days.

Dale

[Ken Glass]

Roger,
That's a great question, and you have gotten a lot of nice answers, but for me, it's about the money more than anything else. I use the profits to fund my other bad habits like English sports cars and fishing. LOL I do however enjoy the process and the creativity too.

[Mike Cruz]

I'll let you know when I become an "experienced turner"...

[Reed Gray]

Well, I always knew that I wanted to work with my hands, and/or be a coach. Wood ended up the perfect medium, and as my experience has grown, so has my ability to coach others in what I do. Having a finished piece that looks nice is as much fun as seeing that light bulb of 'oh, now I get it' turn on. I never made a living at it, but it did support my habit.

robo hippy

[George Guadiane]

For me, it is just the chance that through patience, practice and research I can discover the secret of the PERFECT STINSON FINISH

[Deane Allinson]

I'm in the artistic expression column, now. I bought an old cheap lathe to make handles for some vintage chisels (flat world). They ended up very nice. My wife liked to collect wooden bowls and I thought that I could make some for her as good as what she bought and cheaper. That became true about a year later. There was a lot more skill and experience involved than I thought. I turned a corner on bowl #25 and by #50 I begain to branch off and do things that interested me. I'm the type that can look at a rock for 15 minutes without getting bored. My turning experience is limited but my imagination isn't, I humor myself now.
Deane

[Thom Sturgill]

I'm kind of with Mike Cruz on this... A few years back when facing retirement I realized that my work WAS my life and that retiring was going to create a large void. I read that having an activity that kept you mentally and physically engaged during your retirement was critical to surviving more than the typical two years. My lifelong love of woodworking led me to start buying equipment, first major power tools and then classic chisels and hand planes. Then a project involved turning some spindles and I bought my first lathe. I never looked back, to the extent that the project never got finished, and I HATE leaving work unfinished!

What keeps me motivated is learning new forms, techniques, finishes, and embelishments. There is enough to learn, and truly master, to take several lifetimes much less retirements. And maybe make a few gifts that will be fondly remembered long after I'm gone.

[Mike Cruz]

Thom, he specifically said "for experienced turners", so that's why I stayed out of it. I have plenty of motivations, but I'm not sure I qualify for his "poll". :o

[Roger Chandler]

Thom, he specifically said "for experienced turners", so that's why I stayed out of it. I have plenty of motivations, but I'm not sure I qualify for his "poll". :o

Mike...you qualify.....it would be my guess that your motivations for turning are very similar to your motivations for the woodworking you have done over the years............perhaps with an additional one or two..........you have gotten "experienced" enough to know why you do it...........chime in............lets hear it! :D

[Mike Cruz]

Beer...what else?

[Thom Sturgill]

Thom, he specifically said "for experienced turners", so that's why I stayed out of it. I have plenty of motivations, but I'm not sure I qualify for his "poll". :o

Mike, I think we are both experienced enough for his poll. I HOPE I never stop learning, and I think even old salts like Wally would admit that there's always something new to learn, especially as we keep changing the tools we use. When I started, variable speed generally meant a Reeves drive though electronic speed control had been available for awhile. Powder metal was the new thing and no one used carbide. Now we talk about cryogenics, V12, and CBN wheels...What's next?

[Mike Cruz]

:D Okay, just kidding...

I would say I have 3. First, I love figuring things out. So, the challenge of it is driving force. Perfecting it, not as much. Just my nature. Second, wood. I LOVE beutiful wood, and a special piece gets my juices goin', and makes me think of nothing else, and I've just GOT to go turn it. Third, giving something I've made as a gift. There is nothing like the feeling of someone appreciating your work.

While there are other things, those three are the driving forces that keep me coming back.

[Mike Cruz]

Hehe, I still have a Reeves drive (on my PM90)! :D Though, I also have electronic speed control through a VFD and Pot, too. ;)

[Reed Gray]

No one said how much 'experience' you needed to respond.....

robo hippy

[Mike Cruz]

Yeah, I know, but I'm not the self touting type and when someone says "experienced turners", I don't jump up and start tooting my own horn about assuming that I fit that catagory.

I am NOT implying that anyone else did that. Just how I am...

[Ron Bontz]

"So start small and dream big and you will find the place that you fit best and be happy with that, or like me push a little harder to reach the next step.

Jeff" Well said. The human mind was designed to explore and expand and solve problems. When we cease to expand our knowlege and chase our dreams. We cease to live and only exist. To that end, I turn to relax and learn. But I will never consider myself "accomplished"

[Roger Chandler]

Just a note to say thanks to all who posted in this thread.........some very good insights into why we do this vortex thing.......and helps us understand one another who post on the turning side of the creek bank, a little better as well, I suspect.

It occurred to me as I read your posts, that I had not given my motivations as of yet..........well, they are artistic expression, the desire to leave behind me things that are appreciated, the friendship of others in the turning community, I love wood and am a bit like Mike Cruz in the desire to make something beautiful out of it. And in time.........as I learn more and go towards retirement, I would like to be able to suppliment my income with some wood working/turning...........might help make ends meet when/if I retire.

[John C Lawson]

I am not a very experienced turner, but what I enjoy about turning is the anticipation while planning the details of a project, and then the feeling of accomplishment completing it, despite whatever curve balls the "perversity of the inanimate" may throw at me. Add in the satisfaction with the incremental increase of skill and knowledge that comes with each project, and it is really very satisfying.

[Reed Gray]

This recalled an old poster from some years back. The guy in the photo is a former mayor of Portland, OR....

http://www.mikemart.com/images/ima/r135.jpg

[Tom Winship]

When I was working as a design engineer, I thought I was earning a living, but it was more about figuring out things and self expression. However, a product is always a compromise of a lot of elements; beauty, cost, material, etc. Never quite how you would do it.
After retiring and doing some flatwork, which also has some compromises, I got into turning about a year ago. What I turn is me..........self expression. I also like the joy of giving something to someone who has expressed a like for it.

[Tim Rinehart]

I read thru everyone's responses and feel a little bit of all of them. I guess your comments Roger echo pretty well for me as well. I'm very fortunate to be in an area with several clubs and members who share and learn from each other. Making pieces for family and friends provides a lot of satisfaction, and developing the artistic side is a joy when a gallery is receptive to your work, allowing others to be see, appreciate and acquire their own pieces.