Charles,
Your words are true to some extent, but realisticly very few people can pull it off and survive. I'm surviving and I quite, quite happy with lif e in general. It doesn't come from the "finincial rewards" of my busines s, that much is for certain. But if the purpose of life is to be happy a nd satisfied with ones accomplisments thus far and to have respect and f riends, then I arrived a long time ago. To be honest, one of the greates t rewards is to be amongst my contempories; people like Paul Sadhoff, Ma rk Nobelette, Roland Della Santa, Richard Sachs, Peter Weigle, Peter Joh nson, Ed Litton, Jeff Lyon, Glenn Erickson, Tom Kellog, etc., and the ol d other timers I can't bring to mind off hand. We all do things a little differently and for slightly different reasons. Get to know the person and the framebuilder and you will see that each is a giant in the field but we are all different. There is no better amongst us, it's all a matt er of what is the difference. Look for that.
Brian Baylis
La Mesa, CA
I just read Bruce Gordon's email to Classic Rendezvous about the
financial blight of handmade frame builders here in the USA. I agree it
is a tough choice to be an artisan and have it be your main source of
funds. However as an Architect and having been in that processional
field since 1958 I have the perspective to view the total artisan and
art field. Those fields has never been one to chase money. It is a work
of love for ideas and dreams that far surpass any monetary gains. To
dream of a new building design or a great touring bicycle like Brian
Baylis did and built and displayed at the 2006 NAHBS far exceeds the
lure of dollars. To be alive and be able to dream and to be able to
execute those dreams is what life is about.
Charles Nighbor, Architect
Walnut Creek, CA