Page 79 - One Thousand Ways to Make $1000

stories, and throw them all into the waste paper basket. Then send your one
hundred and first story to a publisher. The point is that no matter what you
elect to make or do, skill requires practice. It is better to practice on yourself
than on those whom you hope will some day buy the things you make.

But don’t let the need of practice discourage you from trying. Rather let it
steel you against the discouragements which always go with selling things
you make. Remember that even Anton Lang, the Oberammergau wood
carver, was once a beginner. At one time in his life he was just as inept as
you are so far as wood carving is concerned. True, he had the help and
inspiration of the more experienced men in the village, but just the same he
was a beginner. So was every great artist. Remember then that you can never
arrive until you begin. And having begun, never for a single moment allow
yourself to become discouraged or to depart from the straight course you
have elected to follow. For that is the all-important thing in success—staying
on the main track all the time.

Naturally, you are going to be most skillful at the things you really like to do
best, so it is easier to be successful when you work with materials you like to
handle. If you like the feel and the smell of wood, you will be happier—and
probably more successful—making things of wood than working with metal.
If your mind is precise, exact, and mathematical, cabinet making may be your
forte. What kind of tools do you like to use? Do you feel at home with a
scroll saw, lathe or forge? Or tools such as a knife or chisel may interest you
more. If you have the “watchmaker’s mind,” you are likely to be more
successful making intricate little models of ships, designing engines or
building model houses.

It may be possible that you are not now successful selling what you make
because it is not the sort of thing you like to do. A man may work for years in
a certain field and find that long after his prime, he could have made a better
living working at the thing he really enjoyed doing. If necessity has made it
impossible for you to make a choice in your vocation, keep up your hobby
that you really enjoy, and sooner or later you may find an opportunity to turn
it into money.