[TheForge] Forge rails

[Jerry Frost]

Much to my almost horrified shock I find myself in agreement with Bruce! 
When I first read your response I took it to be more in the lines of self 
depricating humbleness but reading Bruce's reply I realize you may have been 
more serious than I first thought.

Anywho, one pitfall of creative thinkers is the tendency to get emotionally 
involved in an idea. One example that comes to mind is how hard some artists 
find it to sell their work. It isn't (usually) because it isn't saleable but 
their resistance to market themselves and products. Sometimes there's a 
really strong resistance to have a "product" the thinking being a product 
makes them some kind of mass production line rather than an "artist." In 
reality not having a product means you aren't "producing" anything. There's 
a HUGE difference that may seem semantic but is true in a real world sense.

Okay, on to my point. It's easy to have an idea for a thing, be it a helper 
on the forge, a garden cart or a space craft and get so involved in solving 
a design or construction problem it can narrow your vision to just THAT 
problem, making it an entity in itself, blocking out the bigger picture of 
function. Making tools is about function, not specific type, shape or 
material but it can be really easy to lose sight of the big picture. That's 
where it's a joy and blessing to have a bunch of folk like the gang here to 
bounce ideas and problems off.

In short, too old or stupid would NEVER have asked for help. You have a long 
way to go before either condition is a factor.

All the best Don,
Jer
-------------------------
If it ain't forged
It ain't real
wrought iron is
The Frostworks



----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Bruce Freeman" <freemab222 at gmail.com>
To: "Blacksmithing List Sponsored by ABANA" <theforge at mailman.qth.net>
Sent: Thursday, July 08, 2010 5:54 AM
Subject: Re: [TheForge] Forge rails


> Don
>
> You''re neither stupid nor (too) old.
>
> What folks sometimes don't realize is that creative thinking
> --designing or inventing--  is ACTIVE work.  It takes effort (and can
> wear you out).  You have to apply yourself to come up with ideas.
> That can escape us sometimes because much of idea-making is
> subconscious, and therefore ideas sometimes seem to pop out of
> nowhere, effortlessly.  But you have to set yourself up to do
> unconscious work too!
>
> When I need to come up with an idea, i think about it, and sometimes
> draw up plans (on TurboCAD, these days) for days at a time (throwing
> out bad ideas along the way), for a project that might take only a day
> or two to execute.  I probably do this kind of creative work more than
> most people -- at least with respect to disciplines in which I'm not
> highly trained.  Therefore, I know whereof I speak.
>
> Don't slight yourself for NOT thinking of a solution.  With time and
> effort, I have no doubt you would have come up with something
> workable.  But you did an excellent thing -- you asked folks who know!
> That's a mark of intelligence.  Applaud yourself for it.
>
> All the best,
>
> Bruce
>
> (Just a hair cooler here today.  Completely overcast, but humid, so
> "averages out" a bit less hard to take than the past couple days.
> Ever notice how conversations multiply on this forum in really hot or
> really cold weather?)
>
> On Wed, Jul 7, 2010 at 3:54 PM,  <PlumDon at aol.com> wrote:
>
>> Thank you Frosty, et al. Now that seems such an obvious solution.
>> 'Specially since I keep it on a rolling metal table. What was so 
>> irritating about
>> this business is that I didn't think of it. I'm concerned now that it was
>> because I was old or stupid.
>
> -- 
> Bruce
> NJ
>