" THE expert " of ALL experts ?

[philipsheldon]

As we are about to have a General Election, my thoughts turned towards the FF as I pondered the question, " Who is regarded amongest the Framing community as the Leader ? Who amongst the Forum members is the one most consulted when help is needed ? "

I have my own opinion on that. I shall not name the individual for fear of said person being hounded, but the " Chief " knows who or she may be.

Being objective, the " Chief " uses other suppliers, not just A & T, so I am not being biased in my opinion. This person has an established business, knows the trade inside out & has very importantly, the required skills. Therefore, any assistance that I or any of our customers require, I know with confidence who to turn to.

So, opening the question out to everyone, who gets your vote ?

[FrameArt]

Robo.

[Jonny2morsos]

The Bingster

[mikeysaling]

prospero - all round - think he also knows how to deal with customers.

[Tim]

I haven't been in the commercial framing game for long enough to offer a valid judgement, but I do remember 'Blaster' Bates' definition of an 'Expert'....

....an 'ex' is a has-been, and a 'spurt' is a drip under pressure.

T

[David]

That names a blast from the past went to him live it still hurts thinking about it.

prospero gets my vote.

David.

[mikeysaling]

actually - a better description - which we are hearing during this election - is :-

someone more than ten miles from home

[Dodger]

Prospero, without a doubt, and he's got a great sense of humour!

[prospero]

Yeah....Maybe..... Just a pity I'm sh*te at framing.

[mikeysaling]

you got some suprb examples on the forum 'the big black frame' not sure i'd even know where to start on that!!
still got my vote.

[Not your average framer]

Different framers have different specialities and areas of expertise, so I don't think you can pick just one individual framer.

However, there are those who will always step up to the plate and make it their business to answer requests for advice and information time after time. At least one of these can be rightly called an framing educator and promoter of the latest methods, materials and the highest standards of workmanship.

The framer in question helped me a lot in my earlier framing days and since then, from time to time I find myself steping up to the plate and share my little bit too. The truth is I can remember a lot of others who needed helping along when they first joined this forum and now are also sharing their expertise and knowledge with todays newbies.

We have an ever growing band of experts, so how about that! I think that we can be justifiable proud of just how many experts there really are on the forum and just how many have developed from newbies to members of standing and ability.

We should also give credit to a good many who don't push themselves to the fore, by from time to time, we discover that they too often have impressive specialities and ablities.

In our present difficult economic climate, the knowledge, support and companionship which so many of us receive from each other, may well be what keeps many of us going during the difficult times and that goes for newbies and experts alike.

I for one, would like to say a big thank you to so many who have made the effort to share, either in large or small measure. There's always something new to learn from each other. Long may it continue!

[Keadyart]

Fine post NYAF
Won't be singling anyone out myself,but can truly say anyone contemplating a career in framing could do a lot worse than take a few weeks to have a good browse here and on the grumble.
I usually find I have no need to answer many of the questions posted on here,because the expertS(plural)ar3e usually along double quick, to lend a helping hand.
All the best
brian

[Keadyart]

freudian slip ARE not A R S E
sorry

[Perfection]

I've only been here a few weeks and I'm still a humble novice but it's easy to see who the main 3 or 4 contributors are. You're all bl**dy top blokes and I declare a HUNG FORUM.

Paul@Perfection

[prospero]

I've only been here a few weeks and I'm still a humble novice but it's easy to see who the main 3 or 4 contributors are. You're all bl**dy top blokes and I declare a HUNG FORUM.

Paul@Perfection

I'm tempted to leap in here and say it's a Bl**dy Well Hung Forum. But I have more Decorum.

[huntvambo]

Being a newbie I'm surprized but delighted how everyone is willing to share their knowledge and experience and help is always at hand.

Coming from a totally different business area where all designs, costing, processes, etc. are guarded it's a refreshing change.

I salute you all and long may the ethic of shared knowledge continue.

Paul
Framed in Alvechurch

[A Few More Words]

I must agree with the thoughts in the well structured post above by NYAF.

However my definition of an "Expert" is someone that gets to know more and more about less and less ! -

-- which can sometimes be a dangerous route. Sometimes a more "helicopter view" can be more helpful in a business sense. You could be an expert framer technically but may not be running a good profitable sustainable business. So while the "expert " view on technical issues is vital on the forum, so too is the wider considerations of running a sucessful business financially.

[markw]

Sometimes a more "helicopter view" can be more helpful in a business sense. You could be an expert framer technically but may not be running a good profitable sustainable business. So while the "expert " view on technical issues is vital on the forum, so too is the wider considerations of running a sucessful business financially.

Great wisdom in that observation. It seems to me that we all have technical challenges every day - its part of the joy in framing. But at the end of the day we all need personal resources in many aspects of our business. The great thing about this forum is the ability to gain many varying opinions on all sorts of questions - trying to define one person as the expert of all experts would be impossible. I think you can define some contributors to the forum as being generous with their time and resources in always making an effort to reply. I have my favourites and they have consistently given good advice. There are one or two who talk complete b******s and I wonder how they survive.

[Nigel Nobody]

Different framers have different specialities and areas of expertise, so I don't think you can pick just one individual framer.

I agree totally.
If someone has good experience in any area and they are willing to pass on their knowledge to others that's a positive and worthy, but, we still should not, take one person's 'expertise' as good information, unless it is backed up by many other well educated people.

Just because someone has been doing something the same way for 20 years, doesn't necessarily mean it's right. I had a guy in once to buy an empty frame. He was framing small objects as memorabilia and 'had been gluing them in for 20 years with silicone'. Maybe he thought that the longer you do something wrong, the 'righter' it becomes! I offered him some free advice but he wouldn't listen.

There are many people here who have great general knowledge and great knowledge on specific topic and are willing to pass it on to others. We should learn as much as we can from each other!

[Not your average framer]

we still should not, take one person's 'expertise' as good information, unless it is backed up by many other well educated people.

Exactly so. One of the great things about this forum, is also that so many of us are able to accept a little gentle correction, so that we might improve and get better, even when we thought that we are doing alright. It's part of the culture of the forum it's self!

Left to ourselves, we would no doubt miss out on so many areas in which we can develop and learn more. It's the interaction and exchanging ideas and knowledge which really makes things happen.

I'm not going to mention names, but not that long ago many of our currently active contributors were in exactly the same position as so many up and coming newbies. However look at them now! I'm talking about serious progress in a relatively short time span.

A lot of newbies are not only learning fast, but also jumping in and sharing what they have often recently learnt themselves and helping yet another newbie. It works!

I'm not so sure that we neccessarily understand what an expert actually is. It used to be that myself and Prospero were the main two members who were into hand-finishing. Well, I don't think you can say that anymore.

There are lots of us doing hand-finishing, but we are all doing things in our own very different ways and styles. I was originally trained by Pete Bingham, but my methods and techniques are now quite different to his and also in many ways different to Prospero.

What is happening is a cross pollenating of ideas, plus individuals experimenting and the individual experiences which we each get along the way. Some of us, who've been doing some of our own specialist things for a long time and are even credited with knowing what we are about, are also borrowing the odd new idea from a newbie too. Who says that the forum old timers have got a monopoly, when it comes to knowledge!

Eventually the pupils will learn far more than those who taught them, Life is like that! As we now enter a far more difficult business environment, some of us (who may be more set in our ways than we realise) may well need some of the newbies to teach us new ways to survive in business.