Eight months ago, I sold what I could of my personal belongings, packed up the rest and moved out to Texas to manage the armour department of Thaden Ironworks.
thadenarmory.com/
In that time, I have managed to make some fairly cool things:
www.flickr.com/gp/7220422@N07/78qdG8
...but what was supposed to have been a lucaritive venture, turned out to be a considerable loss.
As fate would have it, the company has been bought out and the armour portion disolved.
As of December 1, I am left with no job, no place to live (part of the original negotiation), and I have not yet figured out where to go.
Even though I lack a formal education, I have been an educator. I have managed crews to a common greatness. However, through it all, I have been an artist. In fact, I have been an artist for so long now, I don't know how to work the mundane.
I thought of looking into colleges with metals programs, but so far I have had very little luck. I can't afford to open up my own shop.
I'm wracking my brain trying to figure out where to go with over twenty years of creative experience, but I think I'm too close to the problem to see it clearly.
That's why I would like to enlist your aid.
Give me ideas, suggestions, clues, anything.
Help me to get my brain thinking in the right direction.
I don't want to end up stuck in a job that does not capitalize on my need to make.
Other random stuff:
www.flickr.com/gp/7220422@N07/7495R7
www.flickr.com/gp/7220422@N07/JW9VCz
www.flickr.com/gp/7220422@N07/dUnk8f
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Los Angeles
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Re: Help me help myself
Mon, November 12, 2007 - 8:16 AMHave you looked at Hollywood? There are so many history and fantasy film that require armor. Or, maybe the History/Discovery Channel if you don't mind the east coast.
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Re: Help me help myself
Mon, November 12, 2007 - 8:51 AMI actually moved from Hollywood to Texas to find work.
The town is so fickle and the cost of living so high that I was hoping to avoid going back.
...but yeah, at this point I should just suck it up and start forwarding my portfolio to all the prop houses again.
However, I'm still not giving up on the rest of the country just yet. I know there has to be a place for a guy like me other than bagging groceries.
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Re: Help me help myself
Mon, November 12, 2007 - 9:20 AMOh yeah,
I almost forgot about the writer's strike.
Yeeesh.... -
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Re: Help me help myself
Mon, November 12, 2007 - 11:24 AMKrieger,
What sort of equipment do you currently have at your disposal? The reason I ask is that I manufacture fencing equipment and I have a couple products I'd like to manufacture but lack the time. I farm out much of my work to laser cutters and machine shops, but hit a wall when it comes to craftsmanship. There are certain operations that I simply can't farm out locally. I can't afford a full time assistant and don't have time to train one. I really need someone trustworthy to work on odd jobs that come up. In other words someone who will actually do the work, someone who has the skill to do at least part of it correctly, and a person who will not rip off my designs and customers. There are so many armorers with huge back logs of orders, perhaps you can offer them your services as a job shop. I currently have a 10 week backlog and cannot get caught up working 7 days per week. -
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Re: Help me help myself
Tue, November 13, 2007 - 10:43 AMI am left with only a handful of forming hammers and one or two stakes.
Most of my time has been spent in other peoples shops, using or renting existing equipment.
At some point, I hope to have access to my own shop again and the opportunity rebuild my collection of tools.
My specialization is in hollow forming various metals, working mainly in 1050 spring steel for armour. However, I do have some blacksmithing, welding, and casting experience. I've also worked in wood, plastic, foam, clay, etc.
I am probably the hardest working, most honest, most organized worker you will ever encounter. The greatest obstacle I face as a worker is that I have a tendency to pay too much attention to detail. When I catch myself in these moments, I simply pull back a little in order to get the job done...but I ALWAYS make my deadlines.
As far as taking up the back log for other armourers...
One of the major problems with armour in general is that the market is not willing to pay what the armour is actually worth. As a result, armourers cannot make ends meet, at least not the good ones, and they're forced to work 12 hour days, 7 days per week. Once you start dividing the crumbs between armourers, everyone starves. The armourers that seem to make it are the ones who have invested in the tooling and equipment to knock out sporting equipment for SCA combatants. While I believe there IS a place for that kind of work, it's just not where I focus my skills.
Jim, drop me a line if you still want to farm out work. Even if I can't do the work, for whatever reason, I could put you in touch with Patick Thaden who is still picking up side jobs, and would be perfectly suited for what you're asking.
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Re: Help me help myself
Wed, November 28, 2007 - 8:14 AMMan, thats depressing. Both that Patrick is closing up the full time shop and that someone with your incredible talent is out of work. (that raised mask is beautiful, I'm going to attempt one for a mask ball I'm attending) Here I am getting ready to move from south texas out to california to find someone to study with and learn from, and your coming the other direction with little good news anywhere.
Have you looked around places like the northeast? The Higgins is worth a shot if nothing else.
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Re: Help me help myself
Wed, November 28, 2007 - 3:47 PMYour not going to like this advice as it is quite cynical but the sad fact is I am right.
Being an artist selling what many see as a commodity is a losing proposition. You compete with rich/well off people who can afford to buy the best equipment and subsidize what they do with a real job.
I do woodworking and with rare exceptions, doing kitchens is where the money is, boring box after box and if you are an artist, it will drive you nuts.
So what do you do? You sell to all those who DREAM of doing this and are the very rich people who prevent you from doing it for a living. Many many markets are ruined by people who make stuff and sell it for less than the cost of materials. However, those same people will pay a buttload of cash to be taught by someone famous.
In short, become the "guru" and teach people, don't open a "studio", open a classroom. Drag your best work and a couple of cheap anvils to a Faire and charge for lessons, bet you make more money teaching than you would selling. -
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Re: Help me help myself
Thu, November 29, 2007 - 9:23 AMGreat idea, you might also look in your community for an arts program. Here in Indy, we have the Indianapolis Arts Center, a non-profit organization that holds classes on a whole range of subjects....including 'steel sculpture'. A man was in his front yard mowing grass when his attractive blond female neighbor came out of the house and went straight to the mailbox.
www.indplsartcenter.org/ to get an idea of what I mean. It might not be a full time job for you but could help keep you busy during the off season and who knows what might happen from there? -
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Re: Help me help myself
Thu, November 29, 2007 - 2:09 PMMichael does have a point. My business started with me manufacturing steel crossbow parts for people who build and sell crossbows. One of my customers hand made crossbows and sold them at renaissance fairs up and down the East coast. People wanted to test shoot the crossbows, so he built a long shooting gallery of heavy canvas and a bunch of blunt crossbow bolts. Once he had the range set up, so many people wanted to test shoot his crossbows that he began charging them 25 cents per shot. He sold a few more crossbows than previously, but he was making several times as much running a shooting gallery than he was selling the bows!
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