Quote:
Originally Posted by brooklynjay  who would you say are the biggest influences in your cue building career? [...] |
One single biggest influence on my cuemaking career doesn't exist; the influences have been many and cumulative; in no particular order some of them are:
Richard Black - who,
very early on, told me to sign my work. He also said: "Art is nothing without the artist", and he was right.
Ernie Gutierrez - who taught me to seek perfection in my work. I've never achieved perfection, but diligently
seeking it still means everything.
Jerry McWorter - who taught me to never pull up short on a cue just because you've already got too much work in it. He was directly responsible for driving the finishing touches on the "Celtic Prince" (hundreds of hours of relief carving) and so he is directly responsible for carpel tunnel in my left wrist - but I don't hold that against him... much.
Richard Black - who taught me to not be afraid to break new ground with a particular cue design. No one in the world has been more experimental and eclectic with their designs than Richard.
Bob Meucci - who taught me that it's okay to charge a high price for hard work.
Burton Spain - who taught me that for every hard and fast rule there is an exception, and that for every convincing argument there is a valid opposite opinion based on the same data.
Jim Stadum and Dave Doucette (Samsara) - who proved that you can step far away from the beaten path and still get to the end of the road in style.
Of course there have been many, many other influences on my career, but the above are just a few that have popped into my head at the moment. If I've left anyone out (who matters), you already know how I feel about you, and some silly little list on an internet forum is irrelevant to that.
I'd also like to thank my father for coming.
TW