Originally Posted by theEdwinson
As a tool-using, bipedal hominid with opposable thumbs, I really enjoy the fact that I'm not merely limited to settling for the random stuff I find while I'm out hunting and gathering.
In other words, after years of refining my skills, I've found that if I'm capable of imagining something, I am capable of making something- actualizing that mental picture into a real, tangible object- an object of beauty and grace! That's pretty cool. Especially since my imagination is chock-full of amazing acoustic guitars, just waiting to be built and played.
That's where the real magic is for me: I begin with a concept, a mental picture; then I can assemble the various materials, and array them on my workbench... The mental picture comes into sharper focus... and then I put my opposable thumbs to work, using tools, and tool-using skills, to fashion these beautiful woods into a tangible, 3-D, playable musical instrument!
In this increasingly digital, virtual world, where reality is more and more becoming a facsimile of itself, having the ability (and the compulsion) to actually manufacture objects of beauty and grace, is immensely satisfying. Nothing compares to the feeling of standing back at the end of a long day of work, and seeing, touching, hearing the actual, tangible results of all my effort and inspiration. It's REAL! And it appeals to the senses on so many levels; tactile, visual, auditory... and mostly, the expression of the higher mind, and the soul, the place where humanity's universal language- MUSIC- originates.
No wonder making guitars is so addictive, for so many people! It is a form of alchemy, practiced in wood, that becomes so much more than the sum of its parts.
And then there's the aspect of the human connection that these objects make possible. Even beyond the ability to express the depth and breadth of our souls through music, I think the most important thing for me is that guitars become objects of desire and passion to the people who own and play them. A fine guitar can add so much to a person's quality of life. They bring creative energy, articulate expression, and joy to people. And the music they play on their guitars brings more of the same to the people who listen to the music...
What a great privilege it is to be engaged in work whose sole purpose is bring that creative energy, expression, and joy to other people! Nothing compares to the feeling of satisfaction you get when a new owner of this guitar that you made says, "It's perfect- it's splendid- it's everything I had hoped for, and more..."
I'm sure I speak for a lot of people here when I say that being a guitar maker is more of a spiritual calling than a "job".
Thanks for asking, Tom!
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