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OK, I'm in a slump, really! I've got several nice guitars to build and I've not had any miss haps in quite some time. I just can't get motivated to get out to the shop. Life is full and what not but why is is so hard to find the motivation to get out there and build. I'm on guitar #11-13 right now and I just can't find it in me to get out to the shop. Heck, I had 1.5 hours this morning but instead I'm here online....

Some of you guys with several builds under your belt, what helps keep you motivated. These are not builds for $$ so that's out of the picture.....

Blaaaaa!!!!!

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"There's really no wrong way, as long as the results are what's desired." Charles Fox

"We have to constantly remind ourselves what we're doing....No Luthier is putting a man on the moon!" Harry Fleishman

"Generosity is always different in the eye of the person who didn't receive anything, but who wanted some." Waddy Thomson

Rod,

I'm in the same boat as you. Building commissions keeps me a lot more motivated. I don't know the answer.

Pat

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formerly known around here as burbank
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http://www.patfosterguitars.com

Ya, I can only drink so much coffee and say, "I'm an artist, I can't be rushed", so much. Encouragement from other builders and getting exited about new designs is nice. And help from above! (can I say that?)

I was encouraged (consoled) from a Wayne Henderson youtube when he said he had beed working on Clapton's guitar for a couple years. He paused and said, "Ya, I need to get that one finished". It's not only me! haha

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Pat

When I'm in a slump I go to the shop & clean,go over my wood supply(I find stuff I forgot about)
Sharpen tools,Listen to music on C.D.s using my guitars.
I find doing nothing important is great!
Just hanging out in & enjoying that special place.
I to have instruments that need finishing;but what the heck-ya have
to have down time also.
It helps to have a little wine also!!!

Mike

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Mike Collins

Do something else you enjoy. If you don't do this for a living, it can't consume all your time. I hunt, BBQ, play the guitar/mandolin, etc. Mostly I'm chasing my 3 daughters around doing whatever they are involved in (choir, guitar/violin lessons, volleyball, dance, etc.). When I'm away, I start wanting to build.

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Formerly known as Adaboy.......

Im on guitars 3 and 4, however prior to this obsession i made bows and arrows. One christmas i had 8 bows to make for various customers but had zero motivation. Then asked myself why am out here. I remember ed the reason. Cause some people were going to wake up christmas morning to a kick a$$ present. After that little thought i finish ahead of schedule. Its not a race. Remember the look on someones face when they get one of your creations, thats what its about.

I usually take a small break. A week out of the shop doing something else that is entertaining to me can be quite refreshing. I usually play some xbox, watch a TV show here and there, or just hang out with the wife. After awhile it grow eager to re-engage myself creatively.

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-Marcus
http://www.bailieguitars.com
Instagram | YouTube

You just asked the 64K question.I heard on youtube manuel velasquez, describe the burning passion he has for getting up every morning , and building classical guitars. I read in classical gtr making by courtnall , how daniel friedrichs ,has that same driving passion to build wonderful guitars. If you could market that passion , just think of the possibilities.For so- called normals like me, it can be a struggle. I have days when I/m in the :zone: and everything is wonderful and coming up roses. Other days , joints fail , wood is not always compromising, and has a mind of its own., and at the end of the day I feel bummed out and eager to crash out. Thankfully I have hobbies, and other interests, the gym, cycling, cooking,archery, ham radio, hiking etc, plus an understanding wife. I have studied the lives of other artists, and getting an staying motivated can be vy tough indeed. On my (bad) days , I do what I call bozo work, shop chores, like waxing, the bandsaw table , making fone calls I/ve put off, resawing a few boards ,and for aerobic excercise, hand planing some stock for future use. I/m guessing since you live in chilliwack , you might be affected by a) lack of sunshine especially 8 months of the year, or a low barometric pressure. Whenever the clouds roll in, and the pressure drops , I get sleepy and feel sluggish an unmotivated. I found it easier to be highly motivated on sunny days. Anyhow that/s my 2 cents on it . Hope you find some answers.

I agree with Darryl. A bit of off time helps a great deal. I only build from Oct. to about May.The rest of the time,May to Oct. I hardly ever go to the workshop. Was just to the lumber yard today and picked up a peice of Honduran Mahogany 4" thick 8" wide by 90" for necks. Oct. starts next week and I'm keen to get going..........................come May and I'll be glad to take a break...!!!
Tom

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A person who has never made a mistake has never made anything!!!

I find that it's just a matter of getting going. I often don't feel like working at first, but once I get going I don't feel like stopping either. Also, I treat it very much like a job, trying to maintain a set schedule. These days, it is becoming a needed source of income with the reduced hours at my day job. Needing to make rent can be a real driver. If I have a commission, after taking someone's money I feel quite compelled to get it done in a timely fashion...

Just imagine you work for a boss and you'll get the sack if you don't get with it. I make furniture and have had the motivation problem before. Usually I could work on an instrument till the motivation came back.

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Regards from RangeView, Bill

Get a couple of bags of chips and a 12 pack of soda, get in front of the tv, watch daytime television all day long breaking only to use the restroom. After a couple of days of this your mind will be completely empty and you will remember why you need to produce something meaningful instead of just being a consumer of what the world is pushing on you. I have actually done this and believe me it works. You will also feel a strong desire to get in the gym or take long walks after this course of action.

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http://www.booneguitars.com
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Stephen-Boone-guitar-builder/488208541257210

Follow Stephen's advice, watch tv, eat junk food, and just relax for a few days. I get burned out occasionally, usually during the Summer when it's really hot. Also play guitar some. I believe it's actually dangerous to be in the shop if you're not "in the mood".

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I didn't mean to say it, but I meant what I said.
http://www.brackettinstruments.com/

I don't build for a living, so like Tom West, I build from Oct/ Nov. until May. By May, I have to have the guitars finished so I can start applying finish to them. Then it is days and days of wet sanding and buffing stretched out between June and August depending on when the guitar is to be delivered. This year, I had no motivation to finish a personal guitar so I put it aside and did other things. Now, I can't wait to get back to work. I have a new bridge design waiting to get on a guitar!
So my answer is, sometimes a little time off can get you very motivated. Sorting wood, cleaning the shop, sharpening tools etc can also get me motivated to start working as well. I hate cleaning the shop!!

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http://www.CostaGuitars.com
PMoMC

Rod, this is common for me as well. Part of it is that when not building something specific it's hard to self-motivate to finish a project. Why? Because it doesn't serve much purpose other than to keep us busy. So we need to find some other motivation, like opportunity to improve our skills in certain areas where we know we fall short. Challenge yourself with something new that you haven't tried if you must. Whatever it takes.

I find that setting up a habit of going into the shop daily, even if it's just for a few minutes to clean or to organize something (not that anything in my shop is either clean or organized...), will help me to keep moving forward. Once I'm down there, as often as not I will start to make some progress and then it begins to flow. It just becomes a habit.

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"I want to know what kind of pickups Vince Gill uses in his Tele, because if I had those, as good of a player as I am, I'm sure I could make it sound like that.
Only badly."

Sounds like you need a goal. I am a habitual runner. But one way I stay focussed in running is by entering races that are hard (for me). Knowing that I will suffer endless hours of agony unless I train keeps me out there running everyday. It's not a lot at any one time, but over time, it adds up. And it becomes a habit. Same with building. Got to have a goal. This usually means and end customer. Even if it's for cost. Knowing someone is out there waiting on me gets me moving.

Sometimes I reorganize the shop. Clean it up. Redo something so that the visual clues are fresh. Something about seeing that same old pile of something I got to step over everytime... nice to finally deal with it. I just added a bunch of new lighting. What a difference that made! Made going out into the shop a bigger joy. Run some fragrant wood (Spanish Cedar!!) through your sander. I do not know why, but that does something for me.

Mike

Go fondle the wood stash for a while. Go down to PJ White in the city and fondle their wood stash for a while. I was just there yesterday and picked up some really nice Bolivian Rosewood. I could have easily dropped a lot more but my wife was with me.

I know what you mean Rod. I was in the same boat when the kids went back to school. I eased myself back into guitar building with some house reno work in there. I seem to have a bit of a groove back. You can always enjoy the weather and not worry about it till the monsoon season arrives. It should be along soon. Always a good reason to play indoors.

See Ya,
Danny

So many good points you all.

I've got plenty of other interest to keep my busy. I've been changing my lifestyle to be much more healthy. I work out 6 days a week now (and loving it and the changes), I fish both ocean and lakes (rivers too some times), hike with my kids, chill with my wife on the deck or by the TV, all that stuff. Life is really good, I just can't seem to get out to the shop which is also good.

I think a good clean will be a great start. I've got the scrap box dumped so that's a great start too..... I'll keep ya posted.

Thanks folks!

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My Facebook Guitar Page

"There's really no wrong way, as long as the results are what's desired." Charles Fox

"We have to constantly remind ourselves what we're doing....No Luthier is putting a man on the moon!" Harry Fleishman

"Generosity is always different in the eye of the person who didn't receive anything, but who wanted some." Waddy Thomson

This activity is a hobby for me. So, I do the hobby when I feel like doing the hobby. I guess that means sometimes I'm motivated and sometimes I'm not. I've build 19 and number 20 only lacks about 8 more hours of work until string-up. It has been unfinished now since this past December. Nearly a year. Obviously, I haven't been motivated and honestly, I haven't tried to be motivated and don't care that I'm not motivated. I have to go to work each day to pay the bills....whether I'm motivated or not. This hobby can wait until I get in the mood again. It will happen.....I'm sure of that.... .someday....(probably right after the Texas Rangers win the World Series). This flexibility is probably the strongest reason I don't care to take commissions.... if I did, then this fantastic past-time will become a job (at least to me it would).

Get to it!

Ha! Awesome!!

_________________
My Facebook Guitar Page

"There's really no wrong way, as long as the results are what's desired." Charles Fox

"We have to constantly remind ourselves what we're doing....No Luthier is putting a man on the moon!" Harry Fleishman

"Generosity is always different in the eye of the person who didn't receive anything, but who wanted some." Waddy Thomson

I have a similar but not identical problem in that I get a little unmotivated sometimes because theres usually a crappy obstacle that pops up and really saps my getupandgo... Im not talking little humps and mistakes that happen during the building process - I enjoy those in fact...I view them as a challenge...
usually its something that I a) need and cant afford... but sometimes its b)some environmental issue like humidity or something else that is hard to overcome...
Also I have to be crafty using my space because of my diminished stature (wheelchair) ... only being able to use about 6' or so of my vertical space...
Also Im teaching myself to build - and its harder not having someone nearby to consult, a teacher or even fellow luthier because as far as I know theres no-one else around these parts .... I really wish I had a mentor to help my learning curve somewhat..
These all add up to some serious downtime here and there...
Rod you make some fine guitars - and youve always been encouraging and helpful to me whenever Ive needed it...... I dont have the answer for you but I do know your one hell of a builder and one hell of a guy - mabye taking on someone who wants to learn the trade would help - Like I said Id kill to have a mentor around here - teaching someone the craft may be the thing you need to find luthierie more fulfilling again...??? just a suggestion
Cheers
Charliewood

Thank you Charlie! Good to see you around here.

I've had one guy in my shop, learning and Chris is right, it really does take away from being able to build one's own instrument, it's possible, it's just that when someone wants to learn, you're teaching them the why as well as the how....takes about twice as long.

I know I'll get there. I actually find that as fall prgresses and the weather turns bad (ain't that the truth Danny) I'll find motivation to get in the shop. That does seem to take me from mid October to April/May when the weather is good, so maybe this isn't to far off some of you others.

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"There's really no wrong way, as long as the results are what's desired." Charles Fox

"We have to constantly remind ourselves what we're doing....No Luthier is putting a man on the moon!" Harry Fleishman

"Generosity is always different in the eye of the person who didn't receive anything, but who wanted some." Waddy Thomson

Hey Todd; Sorry to hear you've (temporarily) lost your guitar get up & go.
I think it might have something to do with the fabulous weather we've been having.
Just wait 'till the sky turns a hundred ominous shades of grey again & there's nothing but mud under your bike tires... I'm willing to bet the shop will start looking a lot better!
In the meantime... Enjoy the sunshine!

Yup, as I sit on my back deck enjoying a great fall afternoon!!

_________________
My Facebook Guitar Page

"There's really no wrong way, as long as the results are what's desired." Charles Fox

"We have to constantly remind ourselves what we're doing....No Luthier is putting a man on the moon!" Harry Fleishman

"Generosity is always different in the eye of the person who didn't receive anything, but who wanted some." Waddy Thomson