ever get into ruts?

[richandmare]

I had asked a person who is a very good carver if they ever get in a rut when they are not so creative?He replied the only rut he has ever been in is when he don't have wood to carve,said he can always create something.Just wondering if anyone else ever has these moments where you just don't feel very creative I'm just making sure I'm not going crazy.I love to carve by the way!

[gtech]

In any hobby I have, I always have periods where I don't feel like it, without knowing why. It normally means it became a routine and that I have to change something.

But that's the way I am, and I know some people who never get tired of always doing the same thing again and again. I don't like routine, some do.

Gilles

[Dan Wegiel]

I agree with Gilles, don't like to do repetitive things. Even though all my carvings are different I still loose my inspiration at times, just a normal thing I believe, but then one day I'll walk past a piece of wood and I'll see a critter waiting for me to get it out. Take a break or try something completely different for a change, hope this helps.
Dan

[richandmare]

Thanks guys I will keep your suggestions in mind.Having this type of feed back is great to me!Thanks again

Rich

[Inadv]

This is where having many interests with ongoing projects in each comes in handy. For example, when I feel in a rut with carving wood there is always a soapstone project, my guitar, an essay to write, or maybe just a long walk in the woods comes in handy. Sometimes the boredom with a project is my inner self telling me I need to spen more time with a loved one, or that I need to spend some time "soul searching".

An old martial arts instructor once told me, and I have since read it in many books regarding Zen philosophy ... "when you walk in the puddle too much the water becomes muddy, and it is time to step away from it until the water becomes clear again. If you try to make sense of it while the water is muddy you will only add confusion to the boredom.

[Colin-Partridge]

Rich I am one of those people who gets into a rut quite often. I dont think I get into a rut with my art as much as I do with life itself. I would carve 24/7 if I could it is the only time that I can be completly without stress. But that is not realistic there are always family problems, things that the wife wants me to do or places she wants me to go. For instance this summer my wife had planned a trip to Intercouse PA with her qirlfriend for a week to visit all the quilting shops. Hey Intercouse PA sounds like a town of strippers and houses of ill repute. LOL Well her girlfriend let her down so I being mr nice guy vollunteered to take her down. Well Intercourse PA is a quite etcentric little place full of Amish quilt shops so for a week I drove miss Daisy she shopped while I snoozed in the truck. When we got back I decided I would like to take a week and carve I was planning that when she was away. Well how quick they forget never did get back to carving very much always things she wants done. That sir puts me in a rut I need to be completly into it and relaxed or I dont perform well and the carvings dont come out end up as fire wood. So carving rut no life rut yes. Keep on carving just hope the big guy will let me bring my tools when the time comes.
Colin

[Donna_T]

Ahhh Colin,
You should have taken some hand carving and instead of sitting in the truck snoozing, sat under a shade tree and carved. I know there's shade trees and carvings in that area--and you were so close to the home of WCI staff, you could have stopped by there and bought 2-3 new carving books to read.

I have found that my spouse tends to forget the last time I changed my plans to accommodate his--but after 46 years, I'm kinda used to that. That's why I just periodically take time off to go carve for 3-5 days. Nothing but sleeping and carving!

And yes, Rich, Dan, and Giles, I have times when there's nothing that stirs my interest to start carving, but I usually have 3-4 unfinished carvings that I go back to in those times. By the time I've resolved the problem on one of them, I'm ready for something new--or I get out the last 2-3 years of carving magaziines, and after re-reading them, usually have an inkling of what I want to do next. I love the muddy puddle thought--how true!

Donna T

[Goody]

I just keep carving. When the wood chips get deep enough I figure it will be easier to get out of the rut. My measure of relief is the depth of the chip pile. Every once in a while I get a decent carving for making all those chips. Some days I just go make chips to just master something I don't feel comfortable with yet, no real project, just a lot of chips and a little more practice.
Goody

[BobD]

I'm a lot like Inadv; I've got several hobbies to fall back on. My biggest problem as of late is that I get frustrated by the disconnect between my hands and brain. I write about carving so much (and talk to people about carving so much) that intellectually, I know a lot about carving. But I can't always make my eyes "see" the form and shape when I'm roughing out, and I can't always make my hands and arms cut the way I know they should.

I know there is no substitute for practice, but I find myself getting frustrated. I'm a somewhat impatient person, so I end up driving myself nuts, but I know that in the end, it's just a matter of practice.

I'm going to have the opportunity to take a class with Vic Hood in May, so I'm hoping I can work out my coordination and "seeing" issues under his tutelage...

Bob

[Hi_Ho_Sliver]

Been in a rut for well over a year!!!