Posted by R. John Howe on June 11, 1999 at 20:22:17:
In Reply to: Re: Mistakes: What Are We Willing to Share with the Novice? posted by Harry on June 11, 1999 at 16:52:09:
Dear Harry -
A small point of etiquette. One of the rules that we ask posters in the salons to abide by is that they give their full names. We think folks willing to identify themselves openly are like to have a richer conversation. I say this here because your post also did not provide a way to contact you privately.
I also need to admit that I don't quite follow your point. Are you advising collectors to follow the advice and conventions established by more experienced folks or are you suggesting that they should "follow their own lights" so to speak in their collecting decisions?
The pressure of your example of the person who sold his entire ceramic collection and then put the procedes into a single presumably high quality piece, signals to me that you are advising novice collectors to follow the established rules in their collecting decisions.
If so, I think Mr. Timmerman's advice (while not hostile to learning) presses on the side of making one's own decisions regardless of what conventions exist.
And while Jerry can fend for himself, I think you may have misunderstood his example. His emphasis was not on the pain his happy little unconventional piece might stir in him but rather rather on the rather surprising fact that as a much more experienced collector it can still make him smile. I heard nothing wry about that smile at all.
Welcome to Turkotek,
R. John Howe