Re: ATTENTION all Custom Artists!!
Personally Josh, I wouldn't apologise for anything except for your perhaps innocent and overzealous offer when you started this thread. You sort of put yourself, and me and some of the others maybe, in the unenviable position of having to show how we do what we do, when that is both, hard to do, and sometimes compromising.
That's all.
No one's done anything wrong here, much less you Josh. I feel you owe no one an apology.
And yes, I do sometimes feel threatened when the person wanting the info I have strived for so long, makes it an issue of pressure, even if no ill intent is there. If I had the secret to Coca Cola's syrup, and someone said, TELL ME, I would not be obliged to do so...if I hadn't said I would....
Josh, without any bad intent, said he would do just that, and that got Dave and others understandibly excited.
Again, no one is a villain. Let's find a way to get past this and share here.
And Josh, stop apologizing bro! When you apologize to anyone out there who wants to know how we do what we do, you apologize for all of us, and I feel no need for such actions. I make NO apologies for all the hard work and efforts and tough, mean criticism that brought me to where I am today. I rode that bucking bronco alone, and had no help other than to look and learn.
We can share. We can assist. We can show some tidbits of details and things, but please, don't ask us to lay our livlihoods out on the line so you can critique and have at us, and then let us have it for not being open enough.
Fair is fair! If I have to stand between Josh and the other artists, to protect some of our hard earned secrets from those that might use them as potential competition, then so be it! Words mean nothing! Saying you won't use this knowledge, or can't... is not assured. How can I/we know this?
Is it insecurity in our abilities that keeps these things secret? NO! It's a sense of Propriety! I OWN my abilities! They are MINE! To keep, sell, share, whatever I choose to do with them.
And they are for sure NOT TO BE pressured or coerced out of me.
And if I can help it, out of anyone else.
If I am wrong, then let's see who else is so eager to share what they have spent so long to learn?
I don't know that many of you that well. I hope many of you are indeed friends. Some of you are customers though, not just of myself. People who have paid for what has been done for you. Therefore, I personally owe you more than those that freely ask method and technique of me. I hope Josh can see this as well. We owe our customers and our constituents first. Those that endorse us with their hard earned cash in trade for our hard earned knowledge and abilities.
If we compromise all that we know, are we as necessary?
I wonder....
Does this make me greedy? I sure hope not! But, this is my livihood, and I will not give up more than I am able. If that answer irritates, then, for that, I apologise. But, I will not apologise for being careful with it. Nor should you Josh.
Maybe this thread is not as easy to fulfill and live up to as it originally appeared.
It takes a bit of understanding to know why an artist can get defensive about his or her work. These things mean all to us. Please try to understand this, and work with Josh and any others in this thread. It was meant as a kind interchange of creative aid and sharing. Let's please try to keep it that way.
