We will now interrupt the regularly scheduled program for this good old blades micro podcast. I'm a really big fan of storytelling and analogies that help to get uh sometimes complex or uh at at least wordy concepts uh through to people. And there's there's an ancient ancient uh Japanese idiom called obaitori, and it basically is made up uh the the character is made up of the uh the four trees that bloom in spring, which are uh cherry, plum, peach, and apricot. And the the concept or the you know the the Japanese concept is is that even though each one of these trees that bear fruit are um essential to life and and and bear something, and they all blossom in the same period of time, they all have a unique perspective or character or um characteristics rather that make them unique in their own right. And the the concept at least is that uh instead of comparing yourself to others uh to sp to acknowledge and to find beauty in who you are and and the things that you bring uniquely to the table. So it's kind of like non-comparison versus uh comparison. And I think that's important in knives because you know we we all commit to this vocation of knives, and it is very easy to look at yourself and look at everyone else and doubt your own capabilities, doubt your own craftsmanship, doubt your own success, um, and so on and so forth. And I've I've gone through this stage as well in knives, and I think that the sooner that you can get out of it, the better uh you'll be. And what I'll say is there is a certain bar that the collective knife maker sets in quality and craftsmanship and everything like that. And I think that to a certain extent those things need to be adhered to. You know, does does your blade look good? Does it follow natural principles of geometry and curvature and all those things, right? And does is it finished in such a way that it's high quality as well? So we're not like 80 grit scratches all over the place and a bunch of uh you know sharp edges and things like that where they're not supposed to be, and you know, bent pins or burnt pins or other things like that. Like like the we're not talking about those kind of rudimentary things that you can fix and make a decent blade. But when you get to a certain point where you're really reaching out into a market and trying to find collectors, or you're trying to sell your knives and and fund your business, um, it can get really difficult because you know, not all every knife sells, and not every knife sells right away. And if you're using the the perception that everybody is selling knives out there and selling them quickly as the as the point of reference for comparison of whether you're good or they're good or whatever, um, I think you'll you'll fall flat because not everybody sells knives, and not everybody sells knives at the same cost that you do. Um, and and you're the one that has to evaluate those things by yourself. But additionally, uh you can make a really exceptional piece of art, and nobody could ever know that you made it. I think if you're using how quickly something sells or how popular you are, or whether everybody knows your name and everything like that as a as a point of reference for success, then I I think that in s in some ways you're losing the point of the craft. So what I think that you have to do first is separate the two uh the two things. Um there is several there are several components to knife making. And one and the most important is making the thing, right? And the other is marketing the thing. And you have to treat those separately in some ways, because if you make things that are popular, uh sure you might sell them, um, but you might not. Like there is no real guarantee there. And um, if you make things without some reference to things that are going on in the world and popularity and things like that, then you might never sell things. And if you focus too much on selling things, then you might never make things because let's face it, uh there's a lot of uh there's a lot of time and money that goes into making knives, but the most important thing is time. And your time is very valuable, and there's really no two ways about it that if you cannot get your time back out of it, then you need to think of your time as that elevation of artistry that you know other makers might be able to put out a knife in four hours, and your knife might look some way in four hours, but if you spent ten hours on it, would it elevate that to you know a uh a sublime level, right? And um I I so when you're separating these concepts of make a knife, sell a knife, or market a knife, it becomes a little bit easier to uh distinguish self. Alright? When when you're making a a piece of art, or you're making a knife, or you're making anything else, I want you to focus on making the best version of that thing that you possibly can. Alright? And that snapshot in time of the best that you can do is not the same that you will be in a month, it's not the same thing that you will be in a year, and it's not the same thing that you'll be in thirty years. Alright? On the other hand, when you're selling or marketing knives, that industry changes so rapidly that something that you make that sell that doesn't sell today might sell for a lot more tomorrow or in ten years. And something that you make in ten years might not uh might not sell the same way, right? Like the the industry of selling changes often, and it changes with the wind. And somebody who recognizes your work and wants to collect it or whatever, um, might be here today and gone tomorrow, or they might uh just not know about you until such time as they they discover you and and you know yours is the greatest work that they've ever seen, and then they want to buy your work or commission your work or things like that, right? So um making a knife is a permanent introduction of something to the world, and selling that thing is a transient effect, all right. And if you focus so much on the here and now and sell and uh get attention and be validated through other people, whatnot, you're always going to be chasing after um the unobtainium, right? Because not everybody's always gonna like you, not everybody is always going to buy your stuff, and not everybody's always gonna value you. If you will focus all of your attention on making a really solid product, great finish, great proportions, all of the the touch and feel, the tactile elements of your of your work are on point and where it needs to be, then the selling will come as an eventuality, uh, whether it's one day, five weeks, two years, whatever the case may be. And those are things that you you'll have to put into the return on investment category of your of your investment because sometimes it just takes a while. So I I hope this helps. O by Tori is the concept O U B A I T O R I. And again, it's it's really about non-comparison, about thinking of yourself and your work and your uniqueness in a in a world where we we might be similar, but we are not the same. And I think that if you focus your individuality, your craft, your time, and your aesthetic on your work, and less about comparing your work or yourself to others, not only will you have a lot more self-esteem in what you're doing, but I feel that other people, when they do validate you through attention and through buying and so on, will be will be investing in you and what you are bringing to the table, not a trend that seems to be circulating around. I hope this helps.