FAQ
#1 Do you do commissions?
Not anymore, I struggle with commissions. I really appreciate people with great ideas for art, their enthusiasm is contagious but what I have found is that with the kind of art we make, a commission piece can’t live up to the expectation in a customer’s heart. We love to watch people discover our work, and smile and point at different items and then when they spot the one that they like best…..the look on their face tells us everything. You can see the joy. Whether they purchase it or not, that smile has become a major reason why we do this. We love that part best! We don’t get the same reaction when we hand over a commission. It never seems to live up to the potential that we discussed in the beginning. We don’t want to just make stuff that people like, we want you to love it! Bottom line is we suck at commission work.
#2 Do you collaborate on items?
Not really. In fact, we usually build our pieces without any input from each other. Partly because we build different things, but the real reason is that we don’t agree on anything……like the placement of ears, the base support, how long the legs are or the colors. We never agree on the colors. We may ask for opinions……..”do you like these eyes?” or “this moose head looks like the right proportion right?” but that’s the extent. I may jump in to help MJ with a weld that is giving her a hard time and get her back on track but even that is becoming less and less of an occurrence. I like her stuff better than she likes mine.
#3 Do you have an online store?
Not yet but maybe someday. A lot of our stuff doesn’t ship well, it can be heavy, have strange shapes etc So we haven’t gone that way yet. We probably will if we have more time someday. Right now, just making enough items to populate our booth at upcoming craft shows takes up all of our time. If you are in Michigan and want a pink pig, at this point you need to drive out here and pick it up in person. I'm not chipping in for gas money.
#4 Who is better?
I am. I’m also the modest one.
#5 Where do you get your ideas?
We think about it all the time. All …..THE…..TIME. I find that while I am building one thing the next item shows up in my head. Usually while I’m digging through a pile of salvage. I may be looking for the head of a cow and find that what I actually have is the body of a cat. It goes in a bucket so I can start collecting the rest of it. There are many buckets in the shop waiting for a few more parts to make a whole. “In the bucket” is how we describe an item that’s a collection of parts waiting to be put together. It's actually really easy and you could do it too with a little practice.
