The g3 Studios Blog

Thank you for the support!

2009-04-30T00:40:00.002-05:00

Thinking some more about the plight of my unfortunate clients, the economy, the industry itself, and many other factors it dawned on me that I too often worry about the negative and injustices of the world.

I truly do know how lucky I am most days and that all things considered I lead a pretty charmed life. So, in that way I am grateful, but I don't acknowledge the people around me that contribute to that. In other words I don't say thank you enough to the people that matter and that support me, even when I'm down and don't know they are.

This often comes from unexpected places. Sometimes it's from acquaintances I hardly know, sometimes from past clients I run into, the forums I view and the people out in the world who offer kind words and encouragement even though we haven't even met. The most obvious are the people who have commented on this blog.

Thank you sincerely, I don't think you realize how big something so seemingly small can be to someone when spoken at key moments in their lives. I have to try and be more positive to others around me, because you never know when they really need it the most!

Putting things into Perspective!

2009-04-22T06:26:00.003-05:00

What started out as needing a break turned into needing some perspective. My entire life had become overwhelmed, inundated and overtaken by my business. The problem was that on many levels it was actually getting too big and I felt the pressure to let it keep growing which was turning into ridiculous time lines, bid wars, over bloated projects, and ego driven decision making.

I took a deep breath and a short hiatus and really examined what it was I enjoyed about this business and which aspects were important to me. Once I answered these questions truthfully things started to sort themselves out.

On top of all of this, I recently saw a news story in which a very good client of mine suddenly lost their home to a fire! The house was valued at 1.6 Million dollars and declared a total loss! The fire was beyond control within 15 minutes! 15 minutes. A blink of the eye. It takes me longer to update this blog.

Despite the value of the house and all of the belongings, I know that the most important thing in the world to them besides the safety of the family is their two dogs, which got out safely. So in their mind they didn't really lose much in the grand scheme.

How many people really hold those kind of true values and would so easily see how lucky they really were in the face of such tragedy and heartbreak?

It's clients like that, people like that who really inspire me to see how lucky I am everyday.

Trying to get in some downtime!

2008-11-16T00:07:00.004-06:00

Sorry about the gap in posts but I have been a busy guy lately! Getting ready to start a new project on Monday and getting together the last minute details. Trying to use the slowdown in the market to get a few ducks in a row. I hope the falling gas prices and the election being over puts people in a better mood and gets things going at a more regular pace again. The holidays are sure a lot more fun when you have money!!! Took my son to see the new James Bond film last night. It was a pretty cool movie but the saddest part is that I think I spent more time looking at the distressed walls and run down buildings in all of the exotic locales than I did on the plot of the movie! I'm such a nerd. Here are just a few. I have to get out more often!

Adapt or Die!

2008-10-29T00:30:00.002-05:00

It's a long standing catchphrase in the entrepreneurial world. And it's never been truer. Right now our industry is facing a major downturn thanks to the volatile housing market which in turn is hurting the economy. Not to mention the whole "old world" look is starting to wind down also. The worst of it seems to be that the look and style so many of us are executing is going to be a constant reminder of an ugly time in the marketplace. Maybe not so much to the average homeowner but to the builders and designers it's always going to remind them of when things were great and when things went ugly. It's tough being associated with something like that. Couple this with the green movement which is also taking on a whole new look and style and things don't look so good.

That's the bad end of things. The good end is that it's forcing us as an industry to become more creative than ever. To come up with new color schemes, textures, and green looks and effects. It's forcing us to look at who our clientèle was and who it's becoming. It's forcing us to look at our pricing structure and the products we use. In short it's forcing us to re examine our business' and what it is we're trying to accomplish.

Why is all of this good. Because for those of us who are in this for the long haul, it's going to weed out the weak, the pretenders, the under cutters, and the quick buck people. It's good because we get to become a little closer to our business and learn something new at the same time. It's good because we get a chance to add a whole new facet to what we offer. We are getting back to basics and starting over in some ways by networking to new people, marketing in a different way. This can only make our business' stronger in the long run.

It's a lot of work that most of us thought was behind us when we started out. I for one am exhausted lately from getting adjusted to the new world of faux but in order to survive we really do have to adapt or die. It's that simple. So instead of seeing the negative and all of the hard work, just look at it as a chance to get better and make more money. It's just not easy money!

Drumroll Please!!!

2008-10-26T01:25:00.010-05:00

At long last! I can finally post some great pics of a tough job that I thought might never end and close another chapter of my faux called "life"!!! Sorry about the delay guys. Even the pictures were a slow process! I know I'm going to look back on this and laugh, I just hope it's sooner than later! I hope you enjoy them!

Some Days are Harder than others!

2008-10-15T13:28:00.002-05:00

Man I'm wiped out! The School II is almost done and it's about drained my will to live in a lot of ways! This job is tough sometimes because of the deeply personal nature of what I do it gets easy to get drug into the drama and politics of a bad work site. Everybody blames everybody for things gone wrong. Deadlines come and go. Promises made are often promises broken. The worst part is that it sometimes forces me into working in uncomfortable situations in ways I'd rather not. Safety issues, time lines, and quality are too often put to the test.

With that said the good news is that the end is near and I am free to move on! The one thing I do enjoy about this job is that if something is bad it will come to an end once the project is over. Most people are just stuck with a toxic work environment until they find a new job which isn't always easy.

The best news is that it turned out to be a beautiful project in the end. In a couple of days I will have a lot of pics posted of the completed project for everyone to see.

Marketing! Marketing! Marketing!

2008-10-01T23:30:00.007-05:00

I feel like this is all I think about! I learned a long time ago that the marketing you do today determines if you'll be busy six months from now. I don't know if that's ever been truer than right now.

I am so sick of hearing about how bad things are in the economy! I try to make this blog a place of positivity so I won't get hung up on this for too long but when this election season is over and the world can try and return to some sort of normalcy I'll be thrilled. I honestly think that election years tend to show a slowdown in my work because all people hear about during this time are the negatives of the world. That's the one nice thing about not being rich, I don't have nearly as much to lose!

At any rate I have been marketing like a madman for the last couple of months and I hope it pays off. Most of my efforts have been done digitally because it's a little friendlier to my budget to do things online like this blog and my e-newsletter. Speaking of which I have to get cracking on this months newsletter before I fall behind. We'll be talking about the holiday season and the need to plan ahead.

It's been awhile!

2008-09-30T00:21:00.001-05:00

I'm trying to keep up with this but I also want to make sure I'm keeping it new and fresh and not just rehashing the same ole' same ole'.

Today I wanted to discuss the need to connect with peers in your industry. I hate nothing more than petty competition. For me it's important to try and get to know who others are in my industry. You never know when you may need an extra hand or good advice. It's also nice to know you're not alone out there!

I am really starting to know the value of networking and not just in obvious ways. The more people you can connect with on a daily business the better off we can all be.

I once read that if you want to meet certain types of people and have a certain type of social circle you need to be the person you want to meet. In other words, do the things you would admire in others and you'll attract the same kind of people.

That's why I try to give of my time and knowledge. That's why I'm nice to my dogs. That's why I coach my son's little league team. Everyone says it's the little things that make all the difference. I hope they're right!

Work in Progress!

2008-09-17T00:22:00.001-05:00

Here are a couple of pics showing the progress so far of our latest project. It's a coffee and wine bar located in Chanhassen Mn. It should be open mid October and I'll follow up with completed pics.

Not much to look at so far but it'll be great when it's done!

Coming Together!

2008-09-05T00:22:00.001-05:00

I haven't posted for awhile because I've been extremely busy. I feel like everything is starting to finally come together. All of the long hours and hard work are starting to pay off, even if only in small ways. I've been trying to reach out to others in the form of friendly networking and expand our name and brand to the business community as a whole.

I've met with the local small business group in Excelsior and they are very friendly which is encouraging. I will be helping to set up a street festival this weekend and meet a few more of the members. I'm trying to subscribe to the philosophy of giving first asking second. It's a bit karmic but I think that's the way of the universe. You can't always expect to get when you haven't given of yourself.

I'll be posting some work in progress pics soon of The School II in Chanhassen. It's a sister restaurant to The School of the Wise in Victoria that we did last year. While it will be similar to the first restaurant in style, it will definitely be unique unto itself.

To Blog or not to Blog!

2008-08-17T21:30:00.001-05:00

This is about the point that I think most newer bloggers start wondering if it's really worth the effort. When inspiration has worn off a little and you're worried you'll start sounding like a broken record. This is a business blog so I try to refrain from negativity and personal musings, so it limits my content somewhat. I promise to try and keep this as interesting as possible but if anyone has anything specific they were wondering about or wished I'd address, feel free to add a comment or suggestion. I never take critique personally so don't be afraid. I'll also try and post some more pics of current projects and fun things. I know that adds a lot to the visual interest of the blog.

So here's to keeping up with this blog and hoping it finds a voice of it's own someday.

Feeling Lucky!

2008-08-11T23:18:00.001-05:00

Today was a good day! Not a great day, not a stupendous day, just a good day. What makes that original statement so awesome is that it's Monday and I can still say that! Mondays don't typically treat me too well but today I had nothing to complain about. And since life is too easy to complain about I try extremely hard to keep this blog positive and as complaint free as I possibly can.

With all of that being said, I think it's the good days that make life worth living and the work worth doing. I sometimes get worn out by my choice to be self employed. I think it would just be so much easier if someone else could...fill in the blank. I'm sure you know how it is. But then days like this come along when I decide what time to go into work. When I get to go home for lunch and touch base with my kids. When I can say yes to my youngest and hang out a little longer to indulge in a quick game of catch with a football. When I can go into my latest project during off hours to get some work done without the distraction of other contractors because this time it's a commercial job instead of residential.

It's the good days that I realize how lucky I am to get to do what I do for a job. And it's days like that when I truly feel grateful for the people who allow me this luxury in life. Those people would be you, my clients. Generated mostly through word of mouth, my clients are the ones who allow and trust me to be me. Not many people get to say that.

I had an art teacher tell me a long time ago that being an artist for a living was the best job you could have. "Think about it" she said,"it's like getting paid everyday to be you! Can you think of any better way to make a living?"

No, I really can't.

Thank you for allowing me to feel so lucky!

Fauxing Green!

2008-08-06T22:02:00.001-05:00

I know a lot of people are sick of hearing about the whole "green" thing, but we take it very seriously at g3 Studios. It's really easy to throw around a lot of buzz words and green terminology but we like to think that this issue can go a little deeper than a sales pitch. In other words, anyone can buy and use the latest green product and call themselves a green practitioner.

For years we have always worked hard at being environmentally aware. I can't tell you how many job sites I've been on where anything goes as far as what makes it into the trash can at the end of the day. Or the amount of toxic materials that were used to create a certain finish. No one is perfect but I can promise you that we try as often as possible to maintain a green and clean work ethic.

Some tell tale signs of contractors that claim to be green but aren't are easy enough to spot. They still use tons of plastic instead of reusable drop cloths. The amount of paper used for masking and being tossed at the end of the job is ridiculous. The use of disposable brushes instead of washing out quality brushes. They buy product by the gallon instead of larger 5 gallon containers because they might be convenient.

An occasional shortcut too often turns into sloppy and negligent habits that have a way of adding up over the years, typically in land fills.

My personal pet peeve isn't that everyone hasn't adapted to a better way of working, it's the pretenders who are claiming to be green in the efforts of lining their own pockets with a different kind of green!

Staying positive!

2008-08-06T00:34:00.001-05:00

I sure am glad that it's not Monday anymore! I swear that Monday's are jinxed with strange voodoo. It's so hard to stay focused and enthusiastic sometimes and when you add the burden of a Monday to that, the results can be disastrous if you're not careful. OK, so maybe I'm being a bit melodramatic but you know what I mean.

I guess the name of the game is to just try and stay positive. Even when you don't want to be. I think now more than ever it's important. It's easy to be positive when things are going well, it's when things get tighter that this philosophy is harder to maintain. Go g3 Go! Yeah team g3!

I'll have to keep working on that!

Gipson

Slowly but surely!

2008-08-05T00:45:00.001-05:00

Today was the official first day of the studio having it's doors open to the public! A whole one person came through the doors and it turns out they were looking for the law office upstairs:(
The good news is that they came in and didn't hesitate to ask for the law offices which must mea on some level we looked like a professional business and not someone's living room! Hey, I've got to find the silver lining in something.

Anyway, it's a start and like all great things you have to get through the bad to get to the good. Tomorrow, 2 whole people might come in and who knows, maybe one will be looking for a good faux finisher!

Gipson

Giving back!

2008-08-01T23:35:00.003-05:00

Deb has been working on organizing our charitable efforts. It seems most of our clients have a similar love for dogs that we do. We will be donating 5% of our gross income to an animal shelter located in Hastings called Animal Ark. This is a no-kill shelter and it's where we found our first dog, Cinder almost 11 yrs ago. They do wonderful work and are in the process of expanding their facilities as well as their own charitable efforts. Cinder was taken care of by these people for over a year. She is a large black Chow mix. At other shelters she would've been put down long before we rescued her.

The reason we like the idea of funding this charity is because it obviously hits close to home without being just another extension of our work. Even we like to give it a rest occasionally. We realized one of the great perks of this job is getting to play with the client's dogs while we're on site, so the choice just seemed fairly logical in some ways.

This isn't a marketing ploy or tooting our own horn, it's just a way for us to give back in a way that our client's could relate to as well. This decision is not going to reflect in our pricing in any way. This was a business decision based on what we wanted to give back, not what we wanted to make people give inadvertently. We will never pass off charitable offerings onto our clients and claim them as our own.

Gipson

By the way I promise to cover other subjects also!

2008-08-01T00:02:00.002-05:00

I know this showroom talk is getting to stack up and trust me, I think I'm sick of talking about it more than anyone right now. So, in the spirit of newness I promise to take a break from it and talk about other stuff once in awhile. Some of the topics we'll be covering in the near future will be; finding inspiration in day to day life, staying centered when the world goes crazy, design ideas and tips, recommended reading, how to pick a color, and just about anything else that wanders through my noggin occasionally.

For the most part these posts will remain business oriented but in a much lighter way than the website is. The website is supposed to feel very formal and professional while the blog is where we get to let our quirky side out a little more.

It never really dawned on me until now that I might be a boring person or writer and that people may not really care about anything I have to say, personally or professionally. What a shocking realization! All of a sudden this seems like a big responsibility, this blog thing! What if I'm too old to blog? Or too out of the loop? To be totally honest I'm not even 100% sure of what a blog really is or how to do it. I think I'm heading in the right direction but who really knows? It's not like there's a core group of blog police out there to let me know if I've strayed into the nether regions of the cyberverse never to be heard from again! Or is there? That's a whole new thing to consider!

Only time will tell I guess if I'm cut out for such an awesome responsibility of writing a blog. Hopefully like anything new and unknown I'll keep getting better at it as I continue to do it. If anybody wants to address anything specifically that I might be overlooking make sure to let me know first before you report me to the blog police!
Gipson

One day later!

2008-07-31T23:21:00.001-05:00

What a difference a day makes! I can't believe we're finally opening. I'm so used to working on the space instead of working from the space. I hope everyone comes to see it and say, Hi! This has been a ton of work but we're very proud of how it's shaping up. It's actually starting to look like a real studio! I knew we could get here eventually but it's still a little weird it's actually happening. Wish us luck on our newest venture.

Gipson

Last minute touch ups

2008-07-29T09:34:00.001-05:00

As we get closer to opening our doors I realized that our sample boards needed a facelift. I thought this would be easy enough but sadly underestimated the amount of sample boards we had. It also seemed like there wasn't a one that didn't need at least a tiny touch up somewhere on it. Having walls to hang these samples on will be great because they won't get beat up as much any more. It seems like no matter how careful you are with them they still find a way to get scratched. The worst is when you are in a meeting and you pull one out and are surprised that there's a mark on it from the car ride over and you didn't know about it. All part of the learning curve. Now I give a quick inspection as I pull them out of the car just in case. We're hoping to create an art gallery type of vibe by displaying them on a slat wall in various categories. Hopefully we have enough room to show most of them.

Getting Closer!

2008-07-28T19:13:00.001-05:00

2008-07-28T18:51:00.001-05:00

Here are a couple of pics of our new space. They are definitely work in progress pics to say the least. I'll post more in a few weeks when everything is done and decorated. The first image to the left is a close up of the foyer walls. The others are of the main showroom itself. The back office is still too ugly to even bother seeing at this point.

Monday Monday

2008-07-28T09:54:00.001-05:00

Starting the week off is always a little slow going. I can honestly say that I love my job and actually look forward to it and Mondays still suck! I don't know how the people do it when they hate their jobs. Must be why people vacation a lot.

Anyway, we're in the home stretch of trying to get the showroom up and running by this weekend and I for one will be glad when we get there. I am getting really sick of spending all of my free time over there. We will be doing a more formal opening in a few weeks when we've had a chance to catch our breath and will let everyone know all about it when we get it all planned.

Lot's of stuff to do today and I'm already late so off I go. I'll try to get a work in progress pic posted of the space soon.

Gipson

Fisrt official blog post!

2008-07-27T00:44:00.001-05:00

Hey Everyone!

This is my first official post to the brand new g3 Studios Blog. For anyone who hasn't heard of us at this point, let me introduce us and tell you a little bit about what we do at g3 Studios.

My name is Gipson Shoemaker III (thus the name g3) and I own and operate a faux finishing and decorative painting business along with my wife Deb. We work out of the twin cities metro area in Minnesota.

I know g3 Studios is a vague name and doesn't directly tell you what we do at first glance, but we thought that was a good thing for a reason. That reason is because we, like the design world, are a changing and ever evolving business. We didn't want to pigeonhole ourselves by descriptively naming ourselves. This allows us to keep adding new services and ideas to the mix without having to make new business cards all the time.

Anyway, we offer a lot of services and artistic ideas which we go into at great length on the website, so we won't bore you with all of that here at the risk of becoming redundant.

Deb and I haven't really figured out yet who's going to be doing the posting here. I'd like to say it'll be a shared responsibility but knowing me it'll probably become more of Deb's baby than mine eventually. We'll put our name at the bottom of the posts so people know who's talking.

I hope you find this blog to be fun and entertaining and make sure you let us know if you feel we're overlooking anything you might be interested in.

Gipson