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From: Ross
Remote Name: 76.101.5.120
Date: 08 Oct 2007
Time: 08:39:41 -0400
Luthier’s Weblog 10/8/07 An important part of seeking a true vision is the ability to step backward to regain perspective. Jeez, that sentence sounded grandiose, but bear along. In writing, in lutherie, in conduct of daily life, the temptation to focus too much of one’s meager resources in a specific area presents itself. An example: I find it way too easy to allocate precious time to following the fortunes of my favorite football team. My enthusiasm, with its genesis more than four decades past, has accounted for probably thousands of hours of time that could more profitably be used doing something else, that could feed my family or improve my health. I suppose one could argue that this recreational nonsense has a therapeutic value and further becomes, in some way, an integral component of the unique personality that is yada yada yada…….. But it is important to stand back and objectively decide what percentage of time spent in this way is moderate, appropriate, and healthy. Looking at my past work in lutherie, I see a lot of instruments that I built that featured elaborate ornamentation, or joinery for it’s own sake. From the perspective of time, I ask myself “What were you thinking?” Well, what I was thinking is that I need to slather on all of this gimmickry to make it attractive to potential buyers. Which seems now to display both naiveté and cynicism, if that combination is possible. Of course, at age 57 I no longer feel the need to seek as much approval as I once did. It is still nice to sell guitars, though. But it should be for the right reasons. Listen to that: not only do I want to sell my instruments, I want the buyers to qualify. Actually, the truth is more quixotic; which is that I want the instruments themselves to seek their proper players. One must reverse engineer the marketing process. One can infer a corollary to that first sentence: An important part of seeking a true vision is the ability to step forward to regain perspective. Today- the stars. Tomorrow- possibly frets. Ross Teigen 8:37 am