[TheForge] Re: How fareth the pro smith?

Thu May 15 12:12:00 2003

An excellent series of observations, Andrew.

                                Grant Marcoux
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Andrew Vida" <[email protected]>
To: <[email protected]>
Sent: Wednesday, May 14, 2003 1:44 PM
Subject: Re: [TheForge] Re: How fareth the pro smith?

>
>
> RIES NIEMI wrote:
> >
> > The economy seems to be a lot more complicated than it used to be, which
I
> > think, overall, is a good thing.
>
> This is an interesting perpsective.  Many folks would hold
> an opinion in wide variance with this, cleaving to the idea
> that simple things are better.  Certainly easier to comprehend.
>
>
> > There doesnt seem to be any one answer- lots of people are busy as can
be,
> > others are going broke.
>
> I've noticed this as well.  The middle region seems to be
> narrowing very sharply. Those who are in a good marketing
> method do betterthat those not.  Marketing is more important,
> generally speaking, than what you make or how well you make it.
> A clear example of this lies in the horribly made junk from
> Mexico.  It was selling like hotcakes with the more-money-than-
> brains crowd in Scottsdale and Paradise Valley.  Marketing
> is pretty much the be all of such businesses.  Combine great
> marketing with superior craft and you may be cooking.
>
> > I think the career arc of a craftsman, someone who devotes their entire
life
> > to becoming as good as they can get at a skill, is not so tied to the
> > economy in general.
>
> But they are not immune to the demands of marketing.  I would
> assert that they have been heavily into marketing at one time
> or another.  But this doesn't mean they have been conscious of
> it.  I know people that market themselves like pros and don't
> even know it.  The combination of their personality, skill,
> and mannerisms just naturally attract interest.
>
> > People still want Sam Maloof chairs or Albert Paley
> > tables, even though they cost more every year and there is a two year
> > waiting list.
>
> As the rich (the smart rich) tend to remain so, they are
> never at a loss to make large capital purchases for home
> and office.  Those are the people and businesses the single
> smith needs to catch the eye of.  Easier said than done.
> My recommendation is to use whatever means and connections
> you have at your disposal.
>
> > On the other hand, if what you are selling is a twisted plant hook,
> > indistiguishable from those made by 200 other smiths around the country,
its
> > likely you are going to be having a harder time when the economy slips.
>
> Agreed.
>
> > Geography certainly plays a part in it as well. The better known
> > bladesmiths, art blacksmiths, or high end ornamental guys are already
> > geographically diversified. The guy just starting out is reliant on his
> > immediate neighborhood.
>
> That's why you want to place yourself in places where the money
> is such as NYC, Scottsdale, Santa Barbara, Naples, etc.  I also
> think that making yourself a very social animal can be very
> helpful.  Becoming well known and liked in the community can
> never hurt.  Getting socially connected with the arts people
> and other money-rich sectors is a good way to make that first
> great break for yourself.  That is what Mark Costabi did (he's
> a NYC painter).  Many revile him as a charlatan, and infact he is
> a flavor of that, but he was a brilliant self-marketeer whose
> paintings sell for tens and hundreds of thousands of dollars
> apiece.
>
> It's much like the old addage about the three most critical
> factors for real estate: location, location, and location.
> Better to own an outhouse in Beverly Hills than live in a
> huge pristin mansion in the ghettoes of Elizabeth NJ.
>
> > If you allow yourself to be a replaceable, faceless worker who makes a
> > commodity, then you are the first to suffer when things slow down.
>
> This was the problem with one of my recent business partners.
> He's a great guy and very talented, but a throwback from the
> days of filthy hippies, love, and flowers.  His aspirations
> are "modest".  Well, the world is treating him as a pauper
> as result, but one cannot make another person want to be
> otherwise.  After six months he's just come to accept my
> assertion that he ought not lower his hourly rates, which
> plummeted from $85/hr to as low as $15.  You are worth what
> people think you are worth, and they think you are worth what
> you project that worth to be.  I think this applies to smiths
> as well.  Granted you must also have the skills and the sense
> of artistic style that appeals to people, but that is usually
> not enough without projecting the proper image.
>
> > If you spend the time, effort and money to be as good as you can be, and
to
> > be an artist at what you do (not an artist- but an artist at what you
do.
> > You can be an artist, too, but the competition is even stiffer in that
> > field.) Then people want your work because YOU made it, and since there
is
> > only one of you, you have a pretty good chance of weathering the storm.
> > Of course, this is a lifelong journey.
>
> We had a long discussion on this last year on artmetal.
> Being and artiste is all well and wonderful, but it will
> not buy you a loaf of bread if you don't have a marketing
> plan or someone associated to you that has one.  Art,
> contrary to much protest, is not essential to life and when
> things get rough, art gets the axe before almost anything
> else.  Those whose art is perceived as being superior in
> value will be bought when that of all the others is left
> on the shelves to rot.  It behooves any serious smith to
> learn the art of marketing or partner with a marketeer to
> do the dirty work for you.
>
> > I mean, face it, the number of help wanted ads in the classifieds for
> > blacksmiths is pretty small. If you want to make a living as a
blacksmith,
> > you have to pretty much write your own job description, then figure out
a
> > way to hire yourself. Nobody said it was gonna be easy, but consider the
> > alternatives.
>
> Well said.
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