Marketing your pipes!

[ToddJohnson]

Random,

I think personality, a demonstration of sound knowledge about pipes, and the ability to demonstrate consistency are all very important factors. Buying a pipe without ever having held it, without ever having owned the brand, and without a reliable reference from someone who does own the brand, is a pretty big leap for a number of collectors. It would also help to be at a show as yourself instead of as a cryptic internet handle. There are myriad of other factors as well, but chief among them is probably demonstrating that you are aware of, and have mastered the techniques, considered necessary by collectors, to produce excellent pipes. Of course there are also aesthetics, which everybody says is "subjective," but this is only true to a point. If the concensus among your demographic is that something is "ugly" then you've got to do a *lot* more marketing and sales to find the guy it appeals to. If the concensus is that it is beautiful, you will need to do less marketing to find a buyer. In fact, a buyer will probably find you.

FWIW, I think your latest creation shows a certain level of talent, but it seems unnecessarily bizarre. It will appeal to someone who will eventually buy it, but, in producing something like that, you decrease your potential market to almost nil. When you've developed a following, pipes like that make more sense than they do at this point. My advice would be to bite the bullet, become a "sheep" and produce a few pipes that correspond to the public's general perception of what a pipe should look like. Later on you can be idealistic and make wild creations that scarcely resemble pipes.

Best,

Todd

[ToddJohnson]

My advice would be to bite the bullet, become a "sheep" and produce a few pipes that correspond to the public's general perception of what a pipe should look like. Later on you can be idealistic and make wild creations that scarcely resemble pipes.

Best,

Todd

Random et all,

I didn't mean this as an asessment of your pipes. I was actually thinking of Trever who, having established that he is an incredible pipemaker, can create ghoulish little sculptures that don't resemble anything you're likely to see Dunhill make. This is a testament to his skill and marketability, not a critique. If anything, it's an envious position to be in to be able to create *anything* you want and have collectors fight over it. Sorry if the above comment sounded rude. I didn't mean it to be.

Todd

[Nick]

Didn't sound rude to me.

[Nick]

The Evil Skull is way cool!