Is Anyone Really Satisfied With Their Work?

[shooter55]

I guess this may be a goofy question, but I seem to always find something just not quite to my liking on most of my work. It's never anything horrible, and I am sure that most people would never notice what may be glaring to me. I always try and improve and do something better on each and every project. It goes against my gut to make something that is "good enough" for the masses. I want it to be good enough for my satisfaction. Is this delusional? No, I am not in therapy and I didn't have a mommy complex when I was younger. Am I seeking the holy grail?

What I have a tendency to think is that if I am totally satisfied with what I have made, the drive to get better evaporates. I know there is no such thing as perfection in anything outside of God, but I wanted to hear from you if anyone has a similar thought.

I probably should be lying on a couch while I write this, huh?

If there are others, maybe we can get a group rate at the institution......(ONLY KIDDING!!!!!!)

[needles]

nothing i do is good enough.........to be honest i think its better that way, i just wish i felt a little more confidence so i didn't actually worry so much about it, if that makes sense. but it definately makes you put that extra effort in, so not all bad.. :-)

[raysouth]

Hey Shooter,

You can sign me up and sure I will meet others I know. lol.

Perfection? Hmmmmmmmm--------- No idea what that might be.

The items I fab are just simple things I, or others, dream up and they are what they are, I suppose. At this stage of the game, I simply attempt to make others smile and appreciate what we all do.

If a person can understand that every pair of hands, every mind, and idea, may be a bit different, I don't think there will be any problems. Don't abuse yourself by being super critical. You are very talented and you probably see things in your work that others would never see. All in the eye of the beholder, to coin a cliche.

Just do the best you can do, as you always do, and all will be well. I promise, I will never complain about anything you turn out. lol.

Really, I do understand and at my very advanced age, I no longer burden myself with self critisism. I am what I am, as you are what you are, and we are blessed to be here and able to make things for ourself and others.

Please, I do not intend this to be a sermon so will cut it short and simply say that you are much appreciated and God Bless.

Ray

[Cyberthrasher]

It's a fine line. You have to know that your work is good by "normal" standards, but still know it sucks by your own. Just remember, the second you think you're good at something is when you stop striving to improve. One of the biggest problems I see in most fields is that people don't take the time to stop and examine their work. You get so many people that say "what do you think" when it's obvious where they need work. I say it here, music forums, and anywhere else where progress may be judged - if you examine your work, you'll never need to ask how you did because you'll already know. Kind of running off track here, but the point is valid. If you weren't asking this question, then that would say to me that you're not examining your work.

Now, to the other side of the coin. How do you know when your work is good enough to sell to people, even though it will never be perfect in your eyes? You don't. You have to trust what people say and compare your work to what's considered "good" in the market place. I don't consider myself a master or a pro by any means, yet others have said otherwise for some reason. However egotistical it may sound, I also KNOW that my work is better than a lot of the stuff out there in the hobby market. How do I know that? Because I've spent a lot of time comparing my work to available examples in order to judge what I'm doing well and what I need improvement on. I don't have the luxury of someone looking over my shoulder to say "do this, not that" so I have to teach myself what's good and what's not.

I'm rambling again, and I can probably do it on this conversation for hours (mostly because I get a lot of PM's regarding it). But, all in all, you're not alone. Just keep doing what you're doing, but keep in mind that you're judging yourself more than others are judging you. As long as you're putting out QUALITY work, you can continue to strive for PERFECT!!

[benlilly1]

NEVER! I always see my errors and wonder if anyone else sees them. I had a motorcycle seat in an article in Easy Rider and I wished it wasn't THAT seat! The motorcycle won best of show in a couple of shows so it appeared front and center in the magazine. It happened to be the one seat I wished hadn't! I have not had any classes or hands on training so this especially hard on me in that I hope every project I take on is done in the right way....So you're not alone, Shooter55!

[atcspaul]

i figure if i am ever satisfied the challenge would be over and it wouldn't be any fun. each project gets better and better and that is what it is all about.

[cmantz]

I think that most people that are creative are always looking at their work, finding what works and what doesn't, what needs to be improved, etc.

The people with the "oh, that's good enough" mentality are not interested in putting out their best work....they are just chasing the dollars.

But remember, we are always our worst critics. What we "see" and what our customers "see" are two different things.

[Bob Blea]

I still have a LOT of room to improve and like Cyberthrasher I look at each thing I make critically, looking for what I can improve on next time. There is always lots I can improve on. If I don't do that I won't get better and I want to make the best product I can. But, I also have feedback from my customers that are thrilled with my work, so I'm probably doing a good job BUT I know I can do better. If I ever get to the point where I don't feel like I can improve, I've stopped growing and then I'm just producing, and that isn't as much fun.

Bob

[Double U Leather]

I echo everyone else's thoughts. When I get to a place where I feel like I've "arrived", in that instant, I'll stop growing and challenging myself. I think that holds true for just about everything in life. I have never turned out a project that I didn't wish I'd have done something a bit differently. 99.9% of the time, the customer never notices it, but it screams at me. In my opinion, perfection is an unattainable goal, but excellence is the goal I shoot for.

[JustKate]

I'm satisfied if I know an item I made is better in some way than the last item I made.

[Matt S]

Down the "that'll do" road lies bonded leather, sloppy fit and raggedy edges. Nothing is perfect, certainly not me or my creations -- and they never will be.

[RiverCity]

You'll always see your own mistakes, and seeing them and wanting to improve them means you care. I look at each of my mistakes as a learning experience, and try not to make the same mistakes twice. Doesn't always work out that way, but its how I try to improve.

Chuck

[bizbeblu]

Nope. Probably never will be. As you all know, our fingers, eyes, and ears felt/heard/saw the less than perfect moments in the creation of our work. I've created beautiful basketwork stamped large purses that were wonderfully received and paid for. But I remember/see/feel each less than precise imprint of the tool. OCD? Maybe. I think we have to acknowledge that the process of creating is what is important and accept that the product, i.e. the point were we finally say, "I can't do anything more with this" will always be less than the ideal.

Or to put it bluntly, if I could make a perfect thing, why would I bother?

Robert

[Leela Valley Leather]

My grandfather once said to me (he was a blacksmith) "The day you stop being critical of your work is the day you need to walk away". I asked him what he meant by this and he told me that when you stop caring about your work it will show and others will notice.

Personally I'm never completely satisfied with what I produce, BUT, as another local leather worker pointed out 99% of people who look at your work will never notice the things that you think are not good enough. From a commercial stand point your products need to meet the expectations of your customers, beyond that you start to run into the law of diminishing returns.

As an example, is it worth your time and their money to spend an hour or more putting a perfect mirror like burnish on the edges when a nice smooth and even finish will see the customer happy?

[bizbeblu]

My grandfather once said to me (he was a blacksmith) "The day you stop being critical of your work is the day you need to walk away". I asked him what he meant by this and he told me that when you stop caring about your work it will show and others will notice.

Personally I'm never completely satisfied with what I produce, BUT, as another local leather worker pointed out 99% of people who look at your work will never notice the things that you think are not good enough. From a commercial stand point your products need to meet the expectations of your customers, beyond that you start to run into the law of diminishing returns.

As an example, is it worth your time and their money to spend an hour or more putting a perfect mirror like burnish on the edges when a nice smooth and even finish will see the customer happy?

A good question. A master cabinet maker I apprenticed with briefly (too young/impatient to stay at it), always finished the backs of his cases just as well as the fronts. I asked him about it because no one would ever know the difference. His answer, "I know." I had no answer then and, even these many years later, still don't.

[groovytech]

Satisfied? usually-with the caveat that the customer generally makes that determination.

Happy? If I have met a challenge and won, regularly enough.

In Awe of my Awesomeness? Twice- but that feeling keeps me pounding away..........

[MADMAX22]

My grandfather once said to me (he was a blacksmith) "The day you stop being critical of your work is the day you need to walk away". I asked him what he meant by this and he told me that when you stop caring about your work it will show and others will notice.

Personally I'm never completely satisfied with what I produce, BUT, as another local leather worker pointed out 99% of people who look at your work will never notice the things that you think are not good enough. From a commercial stand point your products need to meet the expectations of your customers, beyond that you start to run into the law of diminishing returns.

As an example, is it worth your time and their money to spend an hour or more putting a perfect mirror like burnish on the edges when a nice smooth and even finish will see the customer happy?

A good question. A master cabinet maker I apprenticed with briefly (too young/impatient to stay at it), always finished the backs of his cases just as well as the fronts. I asked him about it because no one would ever know the difference. His answer, "I know." I had no answer then and, even these many years later, still don't.

Had to quote both of ya guys as you have gotten some great advice by craftsman both with crafts that require a great attention to detail even if its not being scene. By the way I think any cabinet maker has some form of OCD lol.

I have had to struggle with not thinking an item is good enough and that is what keeps me trying to make things better. I know that even when I point out to people that the edges are nicely burnished and rivets properly set and in the correct areas or that the stitching I do is the best for dependability I can tell that most dont really have a clue what I am talking about. I am happy they are happy and more then anything that I dont get an email a year later saying it fell apart. I think most times I look at something whether it be a knife I made or a leather project and think to myself if another person that makes these items sees it what will they think. I would hope that they could look at it and be like "thats a nice piece you got there".