Taking Chances With My ideas

To attain my goals and my mission, was going toshop again! I had already decided to do imaginative
require taking chances. And, to take risks with mythings, so I got started, and some of the ideas I came
work would require that I be honest with myself. Myup were out in left field for sure, but these were the
confidence and self-esteem would have to be highthings that made happy FIRST and those pieces
and it would take courage, too! I took an inventory ofincluded:Donut: This is a simple piece to carve, and this
my qualities (yeah, right!), to see if I had the right stuffpiece I never sold because I had so much fun with it
to do this. Was my self-esteem and confidenceover the years. A chocolate donut, complete with
relatively high? Did I have the courage to take chancesfrosting on top and was about the same size as a real
out in public? Could I deal with rejection and failure?donut. I placed the "donut" in a Dunkin donuts sack,
Can I get "egg on my face" and survive? Could Icomplete with tissue, and some people were amazed
suffer through embarrassing moments? Could I eat aat how real it looked. The person reaching down into
little "crow" along the way? The answer to all thesethe sack to get the "donut" wasn't aware that it was
questions was NO...I WANT MY MOMMY!To takemade of wood, and they would always ask: "How old
chances with my work, I would have to "go against theis this donut?" I had a lot of fun with it.Little black bear
grain" (woodcarver, get it?) I would have to go off thecub in a high-chair: Over the years, this was my best
beaten path. (I was already off everybody's beatenseller! The little bear cub measured about an inch tall
path) I really didn't know the answers to all theseand the red and white high-chair measured about 5
questions I asked myself, but I wanted to do whatinches tall. As soon as I placed one of these out on
pleased me FIRST, and then hopefully others wouldmy display...to was gone! I would usually take about ten
like my work as well. There's a big difference inof these with me and they would all sell.Lion sitting in a
producing something that will never go before thebathtub: This was my second best seller. At an art
public. It's quite another thing when you produceshow, it didn't take long for this piece to disappear
something for public show, etc.I've always been aeither.Flu bug sick in bed with the flu! I figured if a
competitive person, and I don't like to lose at anything!person can get the flu, why can't a flu bug get the flu?
Checkers; ping-pong; basketball; football; golf; tennis;So, I carved the little flu bug (about 2" long) out of
cards...you name it. I don't like to lose, but if I do, Iredwood. I made a little bed out of masonite; complete
consider myself a good loser and a good sport. I don'twith a tiny pillow and bed sheet. The little flu was
go off throwing a temper-tantrum all over the countycovered with a blanket. And, the caption on a small
because I lost a silly game of checkers! (I just call mypiece of card stock read, "Flu bug sick in bed with the
buddy in the Mafia...Vinnie Testasterone, to put out aflu"Caterpillar wearing a brown derby: About as silly as
contract on the person who beat me and it's all takenit gets, right? I carved a caterpillar and painted it lime
care)I started carving wood, when I was in the ninthgreen, and mounted it on a branch about 10 inches
grade in middle school. In the wood shop I was taking,long. And yes, I took it to a show and put it on display.
just about all the students were building projects suchA couple of hours I sold it to a fellow, and I asked him
as a coffee table; bookcase; chairs and because allwhy he bought it, and the answer was; "Because I like
these projects were made of hardwood, they couldit!"Volkswagen: I have no idea where this idea came
be expensive. Because my parents didn't have muchfrom but I carved a Volkswagen in pine that had two
money for the class, I had to keep my projectsfront ends. (no trunk) Because most of my work was
affordable and simple.My wood shop instructor had ancaptioned, the caption read, "Make up your mind...are
on-going project of carving little animal characters, andyou coming or going?" I sold this piece to a woman,
he kept a few of them on his desk. (show-off) Smallwho said her boyfriend didn't know if he was coming
carvings which measured about 5-6 inches tall...aor going half the time, so this piece was perfect for
giraffe; dog; cat; elephant and so forth. They werehim.A fawcett: The water fawcett was painted silver
inexpensive to make, and I liked the looks of them, so Ilike the real thing, with a wood water drop coming out
wanted to try wood carving.I got started on the animalof it. The drop was painted a very light blue, and had a
pieces, and a few weeks after I completed a fewfunny face on it. The caption on the very small piece
pieces, I compared the same piece to my instructor'sof card stock read, "Whatever turns you on...or off!" I
wood pieces...and, I was surprised! MYsold this piece to a woman whose husband was a
INSTRUCTOR'S WOOD PIECES WERE ALMOSTplumber.Friendly octopus; I saw a picture of an octopus
AS GOOD AS MINE! (Just kidding!) Let the chips fallon a billboard and I wanted one. So I carved one. The
where they may, was the cry for the rest of the yearlegs were cut out of half inch redwood and the body
and I completed the woodworking class.Many yearsout of 2" redwood and all the pieces were glued
later, when I was thirty-something, I took wood carvingtogether after they were carved. The octopus was
up again. And, because I liked the little animals, Ipainted a very dirty brown/dark green and it was
continued with them. I carved about a dozen pieces,shown at Octopus Car Wash for a while.Skunk: This
and took them with me to the flea market, along withpiece was painted back and white like a real skunk
a lot ot other junk, and to get reaction from the publicand carried a sign which read: "Help Stop
on the wood pieces. A woman stopped my myPollution!"Basket Case: My wife bought some cookies
display and saw the little "critters" as she called them,that come in a small straw basket about 5" long and
and invited me to participate in an arts and craftstwo inches high. I carved a female patient wearing
show in Santa Fe, New Mexico.During this period ofhospital pajamas to fit the little basket and now I had
time, I went down to Old Town (Albuquerque), wheremy "Basket Case!"These were a few of the over 200
there were several shops and galleries, to showdifferent original wood carvings I produced over the
business owners my work, and to see if I could sell myyears. And, as you can see, I took a lot of chances
work on consignment, etc. I only visited one shop and Iwith my work. And, because I've been in the humor
decided this wasn't for me. The shop owner liked mybusiness most of my life, 90% of the pieces were
work, but she was interested in buying wood pieces ofcartoon-like characters in wood.So, take a few
a southwestern nature...roadrunners; cowboys; bullschances with your work and just use caution and
and so forth.I decided very quickly that I was not goingcommon sense. If you have to eat a little "crow" in the
to spend the rest of my life carving roadrunners andprocess once in a while...trust me...it doesn't taste so
bulls just to make a buck or two! I didn't go back to abad! Over the years, I've eaten a whole flock of "crow!