build a reputation based on my work

I have recently inherited the role of ‘the brass technician’ since my mentor/co-worker has gone for a 3 week vacation.

Its been a great challenge, and i’m glad to finally be dealing with customers on a regular basis. I’m a very good sales/cr person, and its absolutely changed how i think about the repairs to have a face attached to them.

Exciting things i’ve done:
Last week, i repaired a tuba for a school which was a bit outside the realm of normal because most of the people involved were shocked at the kind of damage involved, I even made a nylon bumper to protect it from further wear. I felt confident and dealt with the situation and teacher in such a way as to soothe his concerns and solved the problem to the best of my ability.

Done favours for the floor staff and turned things around asap to help keep things moving in the store. I think its important to keep up a good relationship with the folks i work with indirectly. They’ll be the ones to help me out/do favours/cover for me if there’s something i need or can’t do. :)

Sorted out crud from the drawer bins. This shop is an amalgam of 3 different shops and who knows how many various technicians over time have sorted (or not) the stock we have. I’ve been finding lots of duplications in what we have and lots of little holes in what we don’t have. Its nice to be able to order what’s missing without too much resistance from boss. Hopefully i can get things all in order and impress my colleague before he gets back. I also feel like he would be hindering the process a bit because we usually do/think differently about how to do things. If its already done, I think he’ll be jazzed.

Turned someone away for work. Why is this a biggish deal? Well, because its important that people trust i won’t do work that isn’t necessary. This is the kind of thing that gets out there. I was glad to feel confident enough to tell the guy the reasons why it wouldn’t need or be worth the work.

I am only nervous about the fact that i DO feel so confident. These are the times that you make mistakes. :)

Careful now!

Its kind of fun shaking things up a bit when you are confident you can do a good job.
I solved a problem today by taking it upon myself to make a part for a customer, something pretty far outside the vernacular of the shop (so far) and something that my co-workers seemed pretty skeptical about.

Its odd having people be suspicious of your abilities and knowing down under that you are completely competent… it makes you doubt yourself a little… anyway, i stayed after hours to complete the job and i feel like i did a pretty good one even without the tools i would’ve preferred to have had. :)

I feel like i would like to talk to my boss and the guys when we have our meeting (sometime in the future?) about shop policies and see if there is a concrete way we can find to bill for this kind of thing. I’m pretty happy to make it a habit to compensate for suppliers who are lax and bored if it is actually a money maker for the store.
Its good for my reputation but there is no reason we should be doing it so cheaply!

Also, I had a pro player bring in his ‘rath’ trombone last night after everyone had left and we chatted about the horn and what work it needed and i feel like i gave a good impression of my honesty and dedication to the field to a customer who seemed confident in coming back. It was a really cool tbone with a detatchable change wrap on the crook end, made in England of all places. Ah, but there IS a market for well made custom brass!!! :)

I feel like my niche is starting to carve me out. Hoorah!

I LOVE my job.
I am pretty GREAT at my job, and I am excited to keep getting better and learning wherever I can to be better for my employer, and for my own career in the future.
I love that my JOB is something that is fulfilling and perfectly suited to me, it is a challenge but not a slog.
I love that my job doesn’t exhuast me and i am finding time and energy to do other things, such as re-visiting my craft as a metalsmith and sculptor.

I don’t think that i could’ve asked for a better set up for myself and therefore i expect to be happy in this situation for a good long while. I need to stay put for a bit to show my dedication and to learn as much as i possibly can as the primary brass instrument repair technician at the biggest family of music stores on the west coast of canada. :)

Its a little terrifying to be thrown into the drivers seat, but i’m confident that i will roll with the punches and people will start to remember my name, to ask if i’m in to work on their instruments, to send people to me for their repairs.

:)

I have no idea what might be next for me career wise, but that’s okay, in a few years maybe something will come up and i’ll just know… but Van-ada has welcomed me with open arms and I’m not about to uh, look this karma-shower in the mouth.

So i’ve been working in the field for a week now, and i was pretty confident when starting up, but now i’m feeling gREAT!

My co-worker today told me when i asked how he thought i was doing that i should ‘slow down’ and that i’m working too fast… that maybe the quality isn’t suffering but i shouldn’t push too hard because we’re going to get busier and busier and then i’ll need to speed up. Well, i guess that’s fine since i don’t feel like i’m really pushing. I am doing a good number of RP’s (although i have nothing to compare it to) and I am proud of the work i’m doing and the skills i’m learning. I feel myself getting more confident and faster and smoother, yeah, smoother is the word. But i’m also not doing any paperwork at this point, so i’m sure things will fluctuate to represent that.
I hope that i’m making a GREAT impression on people… i’m not brown nosing, i’m just doing what i know, and honestly i haven’t ever been happier at work. :) I hope it keeps getting better, and i trust that i will keep smoothing out espesh if i follow the barbara walters method of

GEt your foot in the door,
work harder than everyone else
don’t whine!

Go ME! I bought myself some method books today to celebrate my awesomeness. hoorah

I have been unbelievably distractable this year..

i remember lots of days where i would go home and not do ANYTHING before when i worked all day long… but something about the particular division of my days out here is really making me useless.

Its not my fault.
But its my responsibility to do something worthwhile about this.. before i turn into a fat and artless uninspired clump of former potential.

Okay, so more work on my portfolio ASAP.
To Do Lists once more, because otherwise, NOTHING will change but pace with which i have lost interest.

Oh MY!
I had a collage of good things happen last thursday on my date night with kiki (me) at ‘First Thursday’ in Seattle… I saw LOTS of good/bad/GREAT stuff at the galleries and studioes i visited and it got my mind churning with thoughts of what if… could i… and hmmm… YES!

I want my first solo show to be a collaborative assembly of the two sides of my brain, the scattered, creative, disorganized me represented in wirework and kinetic sculptural elements… and the organized, systematic O.C.D. side of me that loves and relies on the systems to make sense of the former self. So I’m thinking kinetic sound art… little non-electronic objects, that do all sorts of sound-y type things in concert with activities in space… sort of a visual representation of the beauty of my own particular rambling mind… the best way i have ever thought to get this out/down on paper.

All i need is LOTS of metal and tools and an isolation chamber to incubate all of this for about 3-6 months… can you say ‘RESIDENCY?’

I’ll be a prepared curator of my own work.

I’d forgotten how important details can be because i’ve been spoiled in some of the group shows i’ve been a part of to be supported by very good and anal curators.

I installed work in a show yesterday that was less well organized. I felt a bit helpless because i didn’t bring enough miscelanious bit/peices. I have to go BACK after the show opens tuesday afternoon and put in wall plugs/screws. How embarrasing (for the curator!).

In the future i’ll be more prepared, If/When i have my own show of work, i’ll bring EVERYTHING.
lesson learned

Working on my website with justin possibly have it up by february.

this is like a living portfolio… it will be good.
I have an interesting and varied portfolio of things… that will reflect well on me in future applicaitons.