[Woodcarver] why

[Linehan718 at aol.com]

What actually fueled my posts about the drop in emails was the other day  
when I opened my mail, only to find about 30 messages from pyro lists I'm on, 25  
from the sculptures lists and another 20 or so from a woodcraft list.   guess 
what, 3 carving emails and not even carving but chat related(I am not  
against chat). I wondered why the other hobbies and crafts were going  strong, while 
all the carving lists were  pretty quiet and chatting  a  lot.  It started me 
thinking about all the great discussions I used to get  involved in, both as 
learner and helper.  I also recalled that roughly 3 or  4 months ago, when 
waiting for the results of Matt Kelleys WOM pencil contest,  the issue seemed to 
be delayed quite a while. I  laughingly thought to  myself that they must be 
having a problem with "Notes from the net" column since  there hadn't been any 
decent carving discussions lately.  This is not just  a summer problem, or 
going away on vacation thing.  I have definitely  noticed a huge drop off in 
posts over at least the last year, perhaps year and a  half on all of the carving 
lists, even those that permit chatting.  what I  see is newbies joining and 
introducing themselves, maybe a few replys and then  the handful of regular 
posters go back to chatting, maybe discuss some traveling  to and from shows and 
the price of gas(yes all woodcarving related).  There  haven't been any real in 
depth topics discussed lately and only a handful in  recent memory. Then 
someone posts and asks why we are all chatting and  not helping him learn.  At 
first I was a little put off by him and told him  he needed to ask specific 
questions to get answers but then I realized  the  guy just wanted to absorb and 
learn as I did when I joined some 5 years  ago.  Yes I asked questions and got a 
ton of answers but I also learned a  lot listening to other peoples questions 
and answers.  There isn't  much of that anymore, just an occasional 
interesting post. I just wondered  what was going on.   

To the new carvers who are just lurking about, we are here to help you but  
can't if there are no questions to answer.  There are very knowledgeable  
people, who know all about tools, construction, design, wood, carving  techniques, 
painting, burning and finishing.  Please don't be shy or  intimidated.  Most 
members remember me when I joined, big mouth, very  enthusiastic, would ask the 
stupidest questions, Im sure they could say worse  about me.  but boy did 
these guys and girls propel me to new heights.   I never imagined that I would be 
doing what I do now.  In short, you will  only get out of these lists what 
you put into them.  My personal mentor and  friend Charles Post has been 
diagnosed with end stage cancer and is nearing the  end of his days and recently gave 
me his toolbox(lord did the tears stream  down my face).  He asked me that I 
keep on with my carving and that I bring  others along behind me. 
 
So lets go newbies, what are you working on, what do you need to  learn.

 
Maura Carving in NYC
_www.carvinginnyc.com_ (http://www.carvinginnyc.com/) 






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