Have You Ever?

I see a lot of briars out there that I consider "goofy". Beauty is in the eye of the beholder as they say. It's not my place to judge...

I was involved in a multipage "discussion" with Todd Johnson on a thread on here, just after he called the work of other pipemakers, turd pipes. This was just after he released his Briarworks pipes. I had a little connection with him anyways, from his early years of pipe smoking at The Briary. I think I reiterated over and over that I wasn't very impressed with his pipes, either, but of course this was fueled by disappointment in his lack of being able to control his foul mouth. He even offered me one of them fat legged pipes, but I refused.
Honestly, I don't think it is any business of an artisan or pipemaker to know when we don't care for their work. I mean, if there is something wrong with something, we can point it out. But, if I just don't like the look of an artists work, it is none of their business. I mean, I am not going to send letters to all of the bands that I dislike their music, nor the writers who dissapointed me. They don't want to hear it, and it would be a waste of my time.

Unless of course their ego over-inflates and they say something that insults the world of collectors, then we can let them know how we really feel.

But, just in passing, telling an artists that you dislike their work is just an jerkface move, IMO.

Never understood why someone would think their unsolicited opinion of other's pipes is valuable enough to air. The only opinion which matters is the carver's and/or the owner's. The carver is only interested in what the buying public thinks if carving is how they make a living. The carver will find out soon enough if his handiwork is commercially accepted.
I know a carver who has, at a customer's request, carved what, in his opinion, was an ugly pipe. He had sense enough not to tell the paying customer what his thoughts were in that regard.
I'd bet "cosmic" has made jewelry for a paying customer he wouldn't offer for retail.

What's the point of telling someone you don't like their work? Unless they really trust you and might try to take it in a different direction. Some folks just like to start provocative conversations, in which case, people will engage with that or avoid the critic. I might nudge a person in another direction, asking them if they might try something different, if I believed that would have good results. Artisan pipes I've bought have always been completed projects, not commissions, so my buying the pipe was a statement of approval.
In the case of commissions, I think several discussions and maybe drawings would be appropriate, to get on the same page with the pipe carver, as nearly as possible. In one conversation and with no visuals, you could talk right past each other and create a big disappointment for the intended buyer. Sound workmanship is always important, and lack thereof is grounds for refusing a commission pipe. Design and artistic judgements are more problematical. Work those concepts out in advance. Or, like me, simply find a completed pipe by that carver that your really like.

Ultimately, the market decides. If an artist's work doesn't ring a bell with anyone, silence speaks volumes.

Yep, I've been asked to make a ring out of a customer supplied emerald once that looked worse than a shard of MtDew bottle. They wanted me to use $1200 of gold and put just as much time into it. I had to hide it till they picked it up. I've also had (still have) some work that is over ten years old that no one wanted. I'll eventually melt it down amd make something else, but it is a sharp reminder that the market doesn't allways agree with my aesthetics. That is way more of a criticism than someome just snarling a nose at me.

Can't really see the point in that. On the other hand...

I would never say anything, unless solicited. Even then I would be polite.

I would never criticize a pipe makers pipes unsolicited. However, I will offer constructive criticism if asked what I think of their pipes, if it is warranted and then, only as it pertains to fit, finish and overall quality, I would never criticize a pipe makers design aesthetic, that is his/her voice. My main goal is for the pipe maker to improve their pipes, so they can keep selling them and stay in business.

Folks post pictures of their latest acquisitions on the "Pipe Talk" thread (I've done so myself) and then the steady stream of "awesome" posts and "I'll bet it smokes like a champ" posts duly follows and the OP is delighted that his tastes have been approved by his fellow forum members.
But woe betide he who says that in his eyes the pipe is ugly or lacking in some way, the forum then piles into him as though he has brought the plague with him.
This I have observed when going over posts dating back to the birth of the forum and is not seen so much now which leaves me wondering if these 'critics' were actually hounded out for daring to go against the grain.
In my view if you offer up a pipe asking for folk's thoughts on it then you should be prepared to take the rough with the smooth. We can't all like the same things, t'would be a sad and boring world if we did.
Just my tuppence worth ::
Regards,
Jay.

Yep, if I posted a picture of my daughter or wife, and someone started telling me how ugly they are... a pipe is the exact same. ::

Except you wouldn't post of pic of either and ask, hey, are they pretty? Tell me what you think.

Click to expand...

Well, if you asked... yeh. Who does this? If you bought the pipe, wouldn't you like it already? Unless we are posting pictures of random pipes and asking. I see this mostly when people are sort of encouraging people to make fun of a pipe... Like posting a picture of someone else's wife, or just some random picture of a girl... not very classy.

I think owners posting their pipes are different, but won't address that. Telling an artisan that you don't like their pipes is just crappy to do, again, if they don't ask. You walking by their table and not buying a pipe tells them that you may not like their pipes already. There's no need to be a jerk. Cosmic really captured it with the music analogy.