Sunday, August 7, 2022

Sometimes You Need Accessories

     Today's post photos are brought to you by Danielle Feldman. In this first one, her group of kid dolls (who I had no hand in creating) are trying to get a cat out of a tree. The horse is wearing a bareback pad that I made. Look at the teamwork with these kids! One to hold the horse, two to cheer them on (or give advice?) and one to reach for that kitty!
    Here is a closer look at the kitten in the tree. Mostly Danielle sent me this one because she was pretty sure this is a helmet she got from me. It is. I order the helmets from Rockin W Ranch-Hobbies (on Facebook) and I add straps and a buckle so they are removable. Fun fact, apparently youth dolls and Yvonne type dolls wear the same size helmet. At least sometimes. 
    Thank you Danielle for sharing these NAN photos, and congratulations!
    I have been having a very nice summer. Unlike last summer, it has not rained nearly every day. It is actually summer. Which means we have had many days that are above 90 degrees (I can already hear Gail scoffing that that's nothing.) In New England a lot of those days are accompanied by a lot of humidity as well. This year has not been too horrible for the most part. Yesterday was pretty bad. Oppressive is a good word for it. The kind of weather where you just sweat all day, even when you are sitting still. And nothing ever dries. I think we have one or two more days like that and then the temperatures will drop down to mid and lower 80s. Which doesn't mean they won't also still be super humid, just that we won't have hot and humid. So we move from oppressive to sort of clammy and gross, lol. Anyway, I have been doing a pretty good job of not working continuously. I don't do enough nothing still, but I am better at it. I have made myself lots and lots of time to read, which has been fantastic. We have not gone swimming at all, but maybe before the end of the season. We'll see.
     I have a thing weighing on my mind today. I got an email asking for a link to the hairing tool I use. I bought it so long ago, on ebay, that I couldn't come up with the link if I wanted to. So I gave the key words to use to search. Which I felt was pretty helpful. But then this morning I got another email asking me to go and look on ebay and etsy and see if I can find the thing closest to what I use. There was a further inquiry asking if I ever do workshops near me. And I am feeling really weird about all of this. I have, over the years, given some tips and tutorials in my blog. Not a ton of tutorials, they take a ridiculous long time to put together and often result in more work for me. But I make dolls for a living, I don't teach doll making. I give some tips and advice sometimes, but I have wasted hours and days (probably weeks and months collectively) searching for things, trying things out to see if they work. Sometimes I will share a bit of something but I have no desire, or time, to become a full time doll teacher. Especially since it is yet another thing that takes a lot of  my time and doesn't pay me. Which I know sounds selfish but my bill collectors really don't care if I help people, they just want to be paid. So sometimes I actually need to make money.
    So here is the part where things get sticky and weird. I know very well that there are people in the hobby who will tell you every material they use and potentially exactly how they did what they did. Which is great, if that is what they choose to do. I am also very well aware that even if I was to teach people exactly how I do what I do, they would not be able to make dolls exactly like mine because everyone works in somewhat of a different way and practice really is important. But when I share something, or answer a question, and then get a follow up question asking me to do more work for someone... where does it end? I know from experience that a quick search for a thing might actually take several hours. Sometimes that is because you are searching to find something in particular, searching for something you are not sure of the name of (or if it even exists), or because you get sidetracked with things. But when I already gave the tools required (keywords) to do the search and was basically asked a second time to go and do the majority of the work for someone else and send a direct link, I get frustrated. Which makes me feel selfish. 
     So that is what is weighing on my mind today. I don't like to ignore people, I hate it when it happens to me (though it IS happening to me now. I had an inquiry about time payments on my volunteer model, I responded... and have been ignored since), I also don't have time or desire to take more of my non-existent free to find things for other people, who also may just stop responding when they get what they want.  I don't like being put in this position at all. 
 

4 comments:

timaru star ii said...

Frustrated = selfish. What an unfortunate combo. You can't help the frustrated (I don't think. In your spot I'd be pretty frustrated too!), but you can point to all the things you've done to help the public... and try to just say no to the greedy lazy ones. I am operating on a percentage system: So much percent [of my output] given away, so much percent will charge for. I have only so many pearls to distribute to the swine. If they're draining you to the point you can't recover, that's too expensive. You've no call to feel selfish; the reason they come to you in the first place is your outstanding non-selfishness.

Karon Grieve said...

Don’t feel that you are being selfish at all. I get asked how I do the models I work on and when I put together a simple stills video actually got people saying why didn’t I do a proper video and give links to tools. I don’t have the time and why should you have to give everything away for free. Took me years to learn my craft.

Shady Grove Ranch said...

I’m a model horse hobbyist but the hobby in which I have more expertise is vintage sewing patterns, and there are days I just have to bail out because I’m at the end of my rope with people asking to be spoon-fed. And I’m generally very generous with information! But when someone asks “Does anyone know the date for this?” my answer is, “It’s 1960s—try googling ‘McCalls 1962’ ‘McCalls 1963’, etc., until you find patterns in the same lettering style and number range.” Sorry, but hobbies involve a lot of research. I’ve put in hours and hours and paid for website subscriptions so I can do this—I’m glad to help them *learn to research* but I’m less and less glad to hand over years of expertise to people who, if they have FB, also have search engines. (I’m in at least one vintage clothing group that shuts down commenting until the poster includes what research they’ve already done. Thank goodness.) It’s work I’m glad to do but it’s still work. I will also 100% tell people this topic has been covered and to please use the search function in FB groups.

Re: The tool—I’d send them an up-close picture and tell them it’s old and I don’t have any more leads; they’ll have to decide for themselves if what they find will suit.

Anonymous said...

Your feelings are so valid and I understand! I am in awe of your talent and unique style - keep doing your thing and try not to fret over the conundrum. This post says it all!