What keeps YOU from carving??

Gman inspired this thread for me. "Where ya been mang?" And ya know, I bet everybody has some interesting things keeping them from carvin'...well except for Benzart.:o

Things that keep me from carving tiki...

1. Good surf
2. Calcific Tendonitis (rt. elbow)
3. Hernia surgery
4. Girlfriend
5. WORK
6. Lack of $ for new tools
7. more injuries
8. Recording original music
9. more injuries (you get the picture)
10. Praying to win a trip to hawaii contest
    *not necessarily in this order

Whadda-bout-you??

In no particular order:

1. Kids
2. Work
3. Children
4. Job
5. Kids
6. Being to tired from dealing with my kids and job

The number one reason......

The Bar!

You pretty much nailed it for me although I'd have to replace:

#'s 2 and 3-Calcific Tendonitis and Hernia surgery with Lumbar Laminectomy (lower back surgery-just over a month ago)

#4-girlfriend--replace with wife (gotta do that 'quality time' thang.)

Would hafta' add--lack of logs. I did just score some fresh cut pine logs, just gotta let them dry a little.

You pretty much nailed it for me although I'd have to replace:

#'s 2 and 3-Calcific Tendonitis and Hernia surgery with Lumbar Laminectomy (lower back surgery-just over a month ago)

#4-girlfriend--replace with wife (gotta do that 'quality time' thang.)

Would hafta' add--lack of logs. I did just score some fresh cut pine logs, just gotta let them dry a little.

Kidney Stones

lack of time , kids , work , and a.d.d , today i saw a dog in the street and it was brown . oh wait , where was I?
lack of time and kids and work , yeah thats it .

p.s , sorry to hear that Loki.

what keeps me from carving........

...the voice of the faceless thing that lives behind my refrigerator and won't let me near the chisels.....

yeah, work.
Blah!
Also, the wife hates the rap tap tap tapping of the mallet when she's trying to sleep in the mornin'!

I'm sorry everyone. I hate that I prompted this thread. I've got some things going on and my motivation is a bit off. I'm living apart from my wife again (she's working as an ER doc in Philly), Earnie isn't well, and I have less time to carve - especially at night. My weekends have been very rushed, and if she is home for the weekend, I try to spend what time I can doing things with her and getting myself ready for the work week. I've got a host of projects going right now, with some of them being tiki, and some not. I've got a Maori figure still on the bench. He is very close to being done and I hope to have him completed in a few days. I put the final clear finish on the dark stained Maori too. I'll post pics of him tonight on my thread. Additionally, I've carved several Gman tikis, but I've sent them packin' without taking pics or posting.

Here's my list of "other" activities.....or things I do if I'm not carving:

Work and work travel
Maintaining a long distance relationship with my wife
Painting/selling my gyotaku
Boar hunting
Randrail work/buggy club rides
House projects
Speed shooting competitions
Fossil hunting adventures
Cannon building/shooting
Non-tiki carving commissions
Maintaining the GMT
Exhaustion
Depression
Lack of inspiration
Chicken wings and Checker Burgers

-Gman

Most of the above mentioned...and...Tiki Central!

.."the main thing....is to keep the main thing, the main thing"

http://www.winkytiki.com/thegirls/index.html

Yep, that's the main thing!

-Gman

Man, I feel bad for you guys. I Think I have used all those reasons at one time or another, well maybe not All, but I'd rather think about the things that Keep me carving.
Those little voices in my head.
These big voices on TC.
Those Ancient ones adding to the voices in my head.
The thrill of seeing a plain old log transformed by my hands into a neat tiki who then bosses me around.
Did I mention the voices?
The excitement of listening to someone watching their Tiki being created.
The thrill of being able to spend rediculous amounts of money on tools, just to make sawdust .
I'm sure there are More reasons to keep carving but I can't think of any with all the voices in my head.

I agree with Ben; the best reason FOR carving tikis is the happiness that other people get when they take them home. It doesn't matter if it's a Gman tiki, a mask, a traditional tiki, a carved fish, or one of my gyotaku rubbings - the real thrill is providing someone with something I made that makes them happy. Even if I give it to them because they can't afford it (done that lots). As an artist it really doesn't matter if I am really happy with it, I rarely ever am, or if I make a huge profit or eat it, but my clients leave with big smiles and most keep in touch regularly. I think that's the big reason I keep chipping and painting. I like to make people happy. That makes me happy.

-Gman

On 2006-04-30 18:47, Benzart wrote:
...Did I mention the voices?...

Ben, meet me in the bar. I have a recipe to stop the voices.

I aslo have one that makes more voices.........

This was COOL! Ya get to learn a little 'bout everybody.
(Polynesiac, seriously makes me crack-up)
And now I like the way Benz turned it the other way...What MAKES you carve...awesome.

1. To make the surf rise
2. To fight off evil spirits
3. To scare the pants off the neighbors
4. To satisfy the voices in my head

Right on, Ben!
My reasons to carve:
-To forget work, noise and other cares of the grind
-To create a world of my own, a primitive island in the city
-To act like a native, a wildman praying to the Gods!
-The learning that is required to make a good piece, and meeting the aspiration of honoring those who inspired the work. Be they the Natives or those who came before me to honor those traditions. (Thanks to BK for imparting the knowledge of the Mana of the tools and wood, and the respect for those whose art we emulate!)

But mostly, these two things:
-Knowing that I made something out of nothing, that I was able to envision something in a piece of wood and bring it out
-This brotherhood, knowing that I am part of an Ohana, sharing these common experiences with folks from across the land

I'd be lying if I said that the props from carvers and non-carvers on my work wasn't motivational too. Hey, everyone needs an ego stroke now and again!

O.K you asked and here it is. Sad to say I have three or four carvings that have sat idol (pun intended) for a couple of years now. Some just need a little sanding and stain. Others are still in thier log stage. As for reasons well here are a just a few....

• Ending a four year relationship last year
• Moving my studio and home and all my stuff (which I have way more than I thought) over six times during the last two of years.
• Trying to make a living doing what I went to school for in a town that is expensive to live in, saturated with designers and penny pinching clients with no money.
• Getting involved in a new business venture and watching it fail in three months time and having to pick up the pieces after losing a lot of time and money.
• Learning new skills to increase my chances of survival.
• Sitting in front of a computer workin' my okole off. Which would include client based projects as well as my own (Podcasting, redesigning my website, networking and recreating my business from scratch.)
• I wish I could say surfin' and other forms of art but even they taken the very backseat to work.
• Days and days of cold rainy weather, feeling like crap, being broke and filled with sadness.

The list could go on and on but I think y'all get the picture. Please don't get me wrong Folks, I don't want to sound like a negative Nelly and i definatly don't want pity, but it has been a pretty tough couple of years for ol Chongolio. During this time I kept trying to remind self of other TC members and people in general who have had much greater and deeper losses happen to them. But it's hard to be positive when life keeps sucker punching you in the belly.
The good news is I am on the upswing. I am getting through it all and my toes are tappin' again. I have one of the greatest families a dude could ask for and have found a nice quiet place to live that is much cheaper, private and spacious than anywhere I have lived since moving to Santa Cruz county. I am now about four miles from my studio as opposed to the 20 miles I was driving before. I won some contest that involved designing a mug which was the one of the coolest things that ever happend to me. All the postive feedback from the TC Ohana really helped to lift my spirits when I was feeling pretty bummed out. Anyway, carvin', surfin' and the fun stuff are gonna be there for me once I get my plate cleared and that should be in the very near future. The sun has come out and my spirits are liftin' Thanks for lettin' me vent.
Your pal,
Chongolio

What keeps me carvin'

1. Smashing the chisels with a hammer! AAAAAHHHHH - Release.
2. Working on the computer all day.
3. Working in the garage is better than watching TV at night!!
4. The lack of surf in South Florida.

Building Tiki Bars...

The 3rd dimensia...

And, knowing Crazy Al ( in a personal way!!! xoxoxo hunny!)

(Someone needs to come up with a Tiki Carvers Yellow Pages)

On 2006-04-30 15:38, congatiki wrote:
Most of the above mentioned...and...Tiki Central!

Especially TC! I spend way too much time on here!

For me it is also still living at home because I only finished studying last year and have no money. I have anal parents who watch over my shoulder whenever i do anything. The fact that my step-dad is also an OH&S officer means he is obsessed with anything involving anything sharp and my mum is a neat freak. All in all not a great environment for carving. "why are you doing that? Why don't you do this? If you've got time to do that you've got time to help me with this..."

Also having a girlfriend, cause as soon as dinners over Im off to her place (also largely to escpae my folks).

My reasons not to carve:

1. It's ALWAYS 85 degrees and the surf is always good.
2. Busted my power chisel. It's in Australia getting fixed.
3. Busted my new Foredom's (not-so-) flexible shaft. Get a new one tomorrow.
4. Busted my lower back trying to carve Octuplet Coconut stump Tikis with my chain saw (They'll go around my banana patch). The 8 "little darlings" were too heavy to lift, so I had to carve leaning over. OW @%$#@@#! !
5. The 4-part-harmony voices in my head told me to go to the beach because.............
6. It's ALWAYS 85 degrees and the surf is always good.

Reasons not to carve:

1. I vowed to my Wahine to get the yard ready for entertaining many Ohana ie; waterfall/pond/Hut/Bar/BBQ Hut/ Landscaping/ Second storage shed/ Convert garage into child's bedroom. Almost done!

2. Surf is coming (Huricane or at least tropical low pressure cells!)

3. Wahine misses me when I carve (seclusion can be found on the "side yard". The place nobody but me goes. Outing Tikis is dangerous for little ones to see).

Chongo, I feel ya brother. Brighter days coming ya. Our thoughts are with you.

Mahaloz

Reasons I carve:

My wahine and I spend time together carving instead of watching TV.

I get to meet other carvers to share ideas, and learn from.

I love sweeping up piles and piles of wood chips.

I love staggering into the garage at night and getting a splinter stuck in my foot. I made that splinter and by golly, it if its gonna bite me, thats ok.

#1 reason: I find it very gratifying to make something from nothing and love watching and partaking in the process. When its all done, I smile knowing I made it.

Reasons to carve:

Like many of you I love making something from nothing.
Its a great stress relief.
I love making a huge mess of my garage.
Its cheaper than building a hotrod and less expensive.
The kind words of encouragement and tips and criticism that is given with no ill malice by all of you!!

What keeps me from carving :(

Work
Commute
Kids -good reason
Wife -good reason- she's the best thing to happen to me
Tiki Central - Like Hewey, I also spend a lot of time here
Tired from work
Right now, lack of good logs
Getting the house ready to sell
Looking for a job because my company is bankrupt

What keeps me carving :)

Fun

The feeling of taking a piece of wood and seeing something climb out of it, besides bugs.

Tiki Central inspiration-the talent and creativity here is amazing. Thank you all for sharing your work. Keep it up. I started carving because of this site.

Passion

Stress reduction- There is nothing like ripping sawdust from a log with a loud chainsaw to clear your mind and keep you focused

It is a way I can afford to get tiki items

I like this thread, it is a way to get to know more about the other members, I hope it continues.