A Woodcarving Oops!

When you are self taught you can sometimes get to rather advanced stages, but miss something along the way. That’s why I describe this little episode as a woodcarving oops.

I was doing boat show, selling quarterboards and fancy doodads for boats that I was turning out in my shop, and generally thinking that I was hot stuff. And actually most of what I was doing was really good. But there was a little something I didn’t know about carving that helped, and the hint came from a competitor.

You Never Know It All…

I recognized him instantly, I’d anonymously visited his shop to see what sorts of things he carved. And I had spied on his booth at boat shows to compare his work with mine. So I shouldn’t have been surprised when he showed up at my booth on a slow sunday afternoon just before the show closed.

We spent a friendly time talking about the show, our favorite woods and favorite wood dealers. Then as he turned to leave he shot out a comment that changed my carving forever, “Lou, you really don’t want to carve lettering on a curve using italic fonts. They always look like they are about to fall off.” Then he left to pack away his booth.

I sat there for a moment looking at the sign he had indicated. I was quietly having a wake up call. I had just never noticed. The lettering did seem to be falling off. Initially I was pissed. At myself, for not having noticed such an obvious thing. Then I was thankful. I’d just gotten a very inportant lesson from someone I respected, and whose work I admired. He could have simply been smug, and left the Newby competitor to flounder away. But instead he’d treated me as an equal, and tactfully gave me a bit of great advice. It was also one that I could immediately use to give my carving a small but valuable tune up.

I went home carved a replacement piece ,and left the old one outside the shop as a reminder to me of how we can miss what’s right in front of our eyes. It also serves as a reminder that collegiality is an important part of being a professional. We should share our wisdom, and not keep it hidden in a cupboard.

Daily writing prompt

Describe a random encounter with a stranger that stuck out positively to you.

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