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Jim Miller

Jim Miller

SPFG, Supreme Picture Framing God
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Miller
On another thread was this comment:

"...you are brutally sincere acknowledging how ill fit today's framers are to make a living without their suppliers giving them most everything that framers need, pre-chewed and ready to swallow, including chop and join services. Framing industry is a crowded and less rewarding environment for good reasons....

Laments about how the framing business isn't what it used to be are true -- our business isn't what it used to be. Indeed, it is changing rapidly, and the evolution will most likely continue.

But is that a bad thing? These days there's a great deal more to good custom framing than joining pieces of wood together. Is a framer who depends on suppliers and doesn't have advanced woodworking skills really "ill fit...to make a living"?

I believe framers who fail to embrace the evolution of our industry are the ones who will too soon be "ill-fit...to make a living" as framers.

But they might still be great woodworkers.
 
I've always said "embrace what you have". We don't have a CMC (yet) so we market as "doing things the way craftsmen have done them for centuries." and "You just can't beat the loving hands of a caring craftsman."

On the caning side of our business, there is one type of caning where new strands are attached with staples. We know how to do the "keylock" attachment, but staples are quicker and ultimately, less expensive to the customer. As we demo at shows, someone will invariably say "They didn't use staples in the old days..." To which my husband replies, "If they'd had them they would have!"

Whether we're doing custom framing, handcaning, or using antique equipment on our farm, the overall "message" of our business is "Preserving the past for the benefit of the future."

But note, we can't make a living farming with antique equipment.

And I certainly do love my computer, my icemaker, and especially with humidity hovering around 90%, I love my air conditioner!


Betty
 
Jim, Well titled thread.

Those framers that see the neccesity to evolve shall thrive. Those who don't shall become extinct.

When I started framing over 20 years ago, we kept our change in a cigar box. We did almost no marketing. It worked...then.

We are constantly reinventing ourselves. Asking ourselves how can we do this or that better, more efficently, or cheaper.

In the day and age of the Big-Box we have to always be thinking both inside and outside the box.
 
The way I see it, the less time I have to spend drawing straight lines or blowing on paint to get it to dry, the more time I can spend being a Goddess to my customers. No computer can do that yet.
I know that it was Cornel who put that lament out there and I see his point. I have foggy notions of living out a very civilized retirement in a skylit studio somewhere, laying down gold leaf on exquisitely hand-carved and faithfully reproduced frames; can't you just hear the Debussy in the background? But for now, I must hustle and save for the future and market myself and my business into a position where that kind of life could be a reality.
I must admit that I love handmade anything, but I dig business genius as well! In fact, in this Modern World of Ours, I would propose a theory that the handmade touch is appreciated more than ever before- especially since it is not done out of necessity, but done out of a true love of the craft.
I have to give a tip of my hat to Cornel for reminding us that these are the foundations of our industry- not letting us forget that we are craftspeople, even if redefined.
Edie the fg
 
It seems to me that original statement that Jim quoted was implying that technology has made the nuts-and-bolts of custom framing so much easier that we can expect nearly anyone to want a piece of the business.

When I was a photographer, I used to hear the same argument about auto-exposure - and later - auto-focus cameras. Taking technically adequate pictures would become so easy that the traditional professional photographer would become obsolete.

The trained, experienced photographer is the one who knows where to point the camera, how to make lighting work, when to push the shutter and - most important, when to shut off the auto-exposure and auto-focus settings (if they are using them at all.)

The successful framer is going to know which mats and frames to use (as well as which glazing, adhesives, etc), how much to charge, how to deal with customers and vendors, how to stay on top of new developments, how to market their business and a bunch of other things that technology can help with only minimally if at all.

Jim, I was about to get irritated with you for squashing a Frankenthread that was taking on an interesting new direction with the statement, "To get back to the original topic . . ." Thank you for reviving the new topic on a new thread.
 
My response on the aforementioned thread was basicly to embrace the new methods if they will help you. I also stated having a working knowledge of the old methods is nice to have.

How many shops would go completly out of business if they lost their electricity for a month? My shop would not be among them, although it would be tough reviving the old methods. That is how I started my business with $250.00. I did not need a lot of expensive equipment. It took me two weeks to get back in the groove of producing custom framing by hand.

Our industry will continue to evolve, no doubt about that. I can remember when we used to daydream about a machine that would cut any mat you wanted, perfectly, just by telling it to. It was so ridiculesly far fetched that framers would laugh when I talked about it, now we have them.

I have no doubt that a machine will exist in the future that does the entire project, from design to completion without the touch of a human hand. Probably not in our lifetime, but who knows, I never thought I would own a CMC or they would even exist in my lifetime.

Back in the seventies I saw a completly pneumatic machine that would make mini frames starting with the moulding piled in a hopper. The machine was totaly Rube Goldberg and was amazing to watch, but it worked unbelievably well. That belonged to the old Gaxiola Telson Company in San Diego. Imagin what Frank Gaxiola could have built if he had a computer.

John
 
A few years ago the local PPFA chapter (Greater Los Angeles) honored a man who had been framing for most of his many years. (I want to say he was in his 90s, but may only have been approaching his nineties - Marc - a little help here?)

When he spoke to the group Ted told us that he felt the only mistake he had made was not to keep up with innovations in equipment materials, and methods.
 
Meghan,

Was the framer you mentioned Ted Gibson? I read an article about him a few years back in the LA Times. In 1997 he had been framing for over 60 years and was 90 years old.

Anne Vazquez
 
Hmmm, framing without electricity, yes, I could do that, for I join my frames with nails and a vise, and I cut my mats with a Keeton.

When I first opened my shop, nearly 20 years ago, my old boss Kramer shuffled in for a look-see. He stared with amazement at the hundreds and hundreds of frame corners, then finally groused, "Do you know how much it would cost to STOCK all of that moulding?" At the time he still had moulding in stock that he had bought in the fifties!

Yes, I could run my shop without electricity, but not without my phone, my chop services and my UPS!!! ;)
 
I started in the industry with a utility knife and a good steel streight edge for mat cutting. I started my own business with nails & a vise, and, belive it or not, a Keeton mat cutter. I've joined thousands of frames using a slip join ( nails, vise, hammer, electric drill ) not any more. I have several Cassise V nailers, a Hoffmann joining machine, two Thumbnailers that the Hoffmann replaced.

The Keeton, was without a doubt, the best cutting hand cutter ever made. It was a touchy sucker though, you had to keep it realy clean and lubed, no hand cutter cut a better mat that I ever used. I've replaced hand cutters with a CMC. I still have an old 60" modified C&H cutter that I keep for some reason or another, can't recall right now.

It's nice having all that old equipment in my past, but there is no way I would want to go back to using it on a day to day basis. There is a good reason companies have spent millions on R&D and production of todays machines and equipment, for the most part, they are much better and more productive to use.

John
 
Making a living has always been a central issue,
regardless of when. People differ, according to their personalities, on how they derive satisfaction from their work. Being a good craftsman is a central issue in doing good work,
regardless of the tools or methods. I wonder though, how many of us would be doing this work if we had a technology that would do everything from designing the job to calling the customer to pick up their work? That technology might be right around the corner! Then we'll all be "old timers"!!
 
Originally posted by Peter Stetler:
I wonder though, how many of us would be doing this work if we had a technology that would do everything from designing the job to calling the customer to pick up their work? That technology might be right around the corner! Then we'll all be "old timers"!!
Click to expand...
Technology will never replace the one-to-one relationship we have with our customers. And the more technology advances world wide, the more people will crave personal attention and superb customer service. That's where we'll excel!

Betty
 
Goddess--About Ted Gibson, I was surprised it was ONLY 60 odd years too. However, I just reread the article and he had been in L.A. for 60 years. He had actually been framing since age 14.

Anne Vazquez
 
While reading the responses to this thread, I was reminded of another major industry that was changed dramatically by technology....PRINT MAKING.

Not too long ago, Print Making was considered a trade and an art form. Computers and desktop publishing have changed all that for ever. Those few printers who have survived are the ones who have embraced the technology and used their God given talent to incoprporate it into their business. The rest just didn't survive.

The same could be said for the framing industry. Those who embrace the technology in combination with their own talent for the art will survive and thrive in the future.

Ted
 
With most framers complaining about how little free time they have, I see nothing wrong in taking advantage of anything that will save them time in the backroom. The biggest time-saver I have is the CMC. I don't buy cut and joined frames as a rule, but wide frames, I do buy many cut and joined. I found we would spend the better part of a day joining a wide moulding, especially since we were always fiddling with the fourth corner. There is still more to framing than the mat and frame. What good is being a great craftsperson if you are not a great designer? You have to be a great salesperson in order to sell a client on what you know is a great design, but all they have to go on is 6-12" samples placed on one corner and the price is more than they had in mind. You have to know what is placed in front of you, and the best way to handle it. Anyway, in this business, time IS money. A GOOD framer is a well-rounded framer-a craftperson, salesperson, designer and businessperson all rolled into one.
 
Originally posted by PAMELA DESIMONE,CPF:
A GOOD framer is a well-rounded framer-a craftperson, salesperson, designer and businessperson all rolled into one.
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In today market for employees, this is a tall order to fill.

We are in the process of an evolution as we speak. I am hiring 4-5 new associates for designer only positions. They will be traind in backroom framing, but only to add confidence and credibility to there sales toolbox.

I have had many great designers that were less than great framers and vise-versa. My new way of thinking takes advantage of each persons strengths.
 
Originally posted by Jim Miller:
On another thread was this comment:

"...you are brutally sincere acknowledging how ill fit today's framers are to make a living without their suppliers giving them most everything that framers need, pre-chewed and ready to swallow, including chop and join services. Framing industry is a crowded and less rewarding environment for good reasons....

I believe framers who fail to embrace the evolution of our industry are the ones who will too soon be "ill-fit...to make a living" as framers.

But they might still be great woodworkers.
Click to expand...
Hi Jim Miller,

Maybe I wasn't very clear when I made the comment that you referred to above. Let me elaborate a bit on my previous opinion.
I should say up front that there is nothing wrong with framers learning as many new tricks and techniques (with emphasis on NEW) as possible. Not getting to learn the basic is the problem I was referring to and the trend is alarming in this respect. New framers know little if any at all about finishing and refinishing a frame and don't seem eager to learn "how to" techniques, though some times a minor finishing touch makes the difference between getting or loosing a good client. The "modern" framers increasingly trust outsiders with cutting and joining their frames and this alone is a steady source for future frustrations and accounts for a good bit of Grumbler's traffic any time they attempt to make an accurate joining, a multi-angled frame or have to understand and deal with wood dimensional instability. How many custom framers dare attempt a simple but truly one of a kind frame in return for one of a kind price paid by a demanding client?
I could go on and on but hopefully these three instances are going to make my point clearer.
 
I was also saying that "Framing industry is a crowded and less rewarding environment for good reasons...." but this point was fully ignored in favor of knocking at the open door of how good embracing new technologies really is to us.
New technologies entered the medical field, for instance, at an earlier time and at a much greater extent than they did the framing industry. However, becoming a surgeon or a dentist hasn’t become any easier (the way it had in our field), but a lot tougher task.
In my opinion, our industry is crowded and less rewarding because in this field demand grew less impetuously than the offer, as direct result of our “framing made easy” wish come true.
Other businesses have been glad to take over and prosper on what framers were more than happy not to bother with anymore, namely hard to learn, hard to do, costly or dirty tasks such as molding or frame making and finishing, producing new designs and even cutting, joining or fixing frames. In time, those companies became our suppliers of pre-chewed and ready to swallow facts of frame artistry. In such a market, for new framers to become proficient has proved to be an ever less challenging and risky road to take. Consequently, a great many took that road, with many more others yet to come.
Is this custom framers’ course of evolution too? It could very well be just that.
 
Originally posted by American Choice:

Not getting to learn the basic is the problem I was referring to and the trend is alarming in this respect.
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I will say that I agree with you 100% in this instance. It's the same as not learning how to count back change. It's a basic. Technology is wonderful. Remembering where we came from is essential.

Betty
 
Without electricity most shops would shut down no matter what type of equiipment it has. Most back rooms that I have seen (and I've seen a lot), where actual framing is done, are pitch black without lighting. Oh, I'm sure somebody out there has framed with no electricity in a pitch black room, or even does it regularly. ;) ...or keeps a generator on hand just for those occasions when the electricity goes out. ;)
 
I don't think that there is anything wrong with people becoming specialized. This is exactly how we stay in business... BEING SPECIALIZED!

If one group of people want to become moulding designers, and therefore become our suppliers, then I'll be glad to support them. I am glad to have the knowledgeof woodworking, but I don't have my fathers' skill for it. (I have tried wood carving, can't do it.)

So, I will keep the knowledge of woodworking in mind, but I'll stay with the skills that I can do. I do hand paintings on mats, ink lines, powder lines, and other mat decorations. I also pride myself on the fact that I can tell customers how to improve their stitcheries, and mount them without harm.

So, I guess what I'm saying is... How many Moulding Designers know the difference between Needlepoint, and Embroidery? My guess would be, not many.

Growing with the industry is important, but so is remembering the past... True? But there is nothing wrong with being specialized.

To take the example that Cronel used, I would not go to a Family Doctor, if I needed my teeth worked on. I would go to a Specialist... a Dentist. Same thing for framing... I would not want a framer specialized in works of art on paper, to frame my Great-Grandmother's Cross-stitch sampler.
 
JFrame, you are right, it would be problamatic with no electricity. Give it some thought though. Our industry was going strong many years before Electricity was discovered or the light bulb was invented. Should that major element suddenly disapear from our shops, for what we know would be an extended period. The fitting rooms would be moved out front, near the windows. Back saws on benches out back would be common. ( outdoor framing ) We would also be using Coleman type laterns etc.

Getting light on the subject would take some effort, but knowing how to make frames with choppers & back saws, cutting mats with hand cutters, joining frames with hammer & nails, etc. would be a much greater problem.

It would definatly clear the field of a lot of frame shops & Big Boxes.

John
 
Recently there was an article in Fine Woodworking magazine about a shop in the eastern US - the woodworker in question is part of a group that doesn't use electricity. This was a well equipped, very modern shop but all equipment was powered by hydraulic motors with hydraulic power from a diesel engine. The lighting was gas. There was no use of electricity at all. The heat from the diesel's radiator was used to heat the shop. It was noted that the energy bill was higher than it would have been using electricity.

Day before yesterday I went to my home workshop and built a frame from scratch - started with raw wood. Then I finished this frame project with a CAD designed CMC cut mat. Evolution continues.

Tomorrow I will fly 3000 miles to spend 2 weeks in a 150 year old mill making furniture with old fashion hand tools. My CMC will still be cutting my mat designs while I'm gone.
 
People lived in Houston, Miami and similar climates before there was any air-conditioning.

No thank you.
 
Three thoughts.

One: I know how to make butter. Do I do it? No, in the time it would take me to make it, I can make FAR more money than the butter costs. (Plus, if I did, I would weigh 300lbs
)

Two: Many industries are dealing with this. Doctors have been mentioned. NASCAR and other auto racing is another. One can't just have a car now. It's big business. Ours seems to be the only industry that has actually made it easier to start and be in business.

Three: Marketing our "speciality" is how we deal with the "ease" of competition popping up. This kinda goes back to the "branding" thread. Your "brand" is YOU and what YOU do best. Know how to do it all, know where it came from, then, do what you do best, and let the world know about it!

Betty
 
Several of you have focused on changes in our equipment. True enough, the evolution of our production technology has been significant lately, but that's not what I had in mind at the start of this.

By whatever level of technology, innovative framers will continue to produce enough to make a living as framers. Some will do it more efficiently, more accurately, and faster -- but even some of the lowest-technology framers will be able to earn a living.

The evolution that I think will leave some framers "ill-fit...to make a living" has more to do with business administration than production.

The evolution of marketing has enticed more consumers to buy custom framing, but they seem to be more conscious of price than quality. That's a challenge for framers who don't know how to compete with low-price competitors. Price cutting is ill-advised, and those who do it are headed for trouble.

Evolution of business philosophy is going on, too. There was a time when a highly skilled framer could earn a living with very little skill in operating a business. That's no longer true. As framing becomes more competitive and profits become more precious, business practices mean the difference between surviving and thriving.

Today, the frame shop run by a highly skilled business administrator will out-perform the shop run by a highly skilled framing technician. THAT's the evolution that I think will make some framers "ill-fit...to make a living" as framers.
 
Originally posted by Jim Miller:
Today, the frame shop run by a highly skilled business administrator will out-perform the shop run by a highly skilled framing technician.
Click to expand...
Yep!

Betty
 
. Should that major element suddenly disapear from our shops, for what we know would be an extended period. The fitting rooms would be moved out front, near the windows. ...
It would definatly clear the field of a lot of frame shops & Big Boxes.

John
Click to expand...
So when the Balloon Goes Up, and there is Thermonuclear Holocaust, folks can still get their custom framing done at several fine emporiums, including Howards...
 
Originally posted by EllenAtHowards:
So when the Balloon Goes Up, and there is Thermonuclear Holocaust, folks can still get their custom framing done at several fine emporiums, including Howards...
Click to expand...
Yeah, and here on the farm they can also get a dozen ears of corn and a pound of tomatoes!

WARPING ALERT :eek: WARPING ALERT :eek: WARPING ALERT
 
The "highly skilled business administrator" in the shop where I work is same person brought technology to the store.
Of course, he doesn't do much framing anymore, (mostly V CADD on the Wizard) he spends his time as the "highly skilled business administrator" analyzing the figures. So, Jim, I think you are correct, first a business person, then a framer.
 
I never inferred that one framer must give up on electric power, power tools or his CMC as a way to stay true to his trade. Quite the contrary, since modern production has its clear advantages over traditional ways of making things.
Getting to learn the basics of framing business is in no way related in my mind with antique, obsolete or rudimental technologies but with a technical body of knowledge that framers chose to fully ignore, as a result of becoming specialized in just a few framing operations. The most recent trend is to let go cutting and joining in return for becoming specialized in design, glass, mats and fitting only and, I’m afraid that twenty years from now these four operations (or maybe less) will most likely end up being THE FRAMING BUSINESS ITSELF.
Let’s take real example of what I call “basic”, although I am not going to use real names.
A client of mine from California, Mrs. X, also a Grumbler, had purchased a number of mirror frames from me. One day a buyer falls in love with one such frame but has a minor objection concerning the hue of some painted over the gold design patterns. As far as her client was concerned, Mrs. X has made that mirror frame for him and, changing the frame’s hue certainly did not look like a big deal. In reality, solving that problem implied the following possibilities:
a) Attempting to do it herself, but she was not familiar with frame finishing therefore being in clear risk of ruining that frame
b) Paying American wages to a local “expert”, in which case the frame’s cost to her would become an issue
c) Place a new order with me, in which case extra time and money would become the issue
The prospect of loosing an important sell, aggravate a good client or/and paying more for not knowing THE BASIC of frame re/finishing (materials, properties, techniques) was of real concern to Mrs. X. So much so that she had contacted me and asked me to coach her cross that bridge, from New York. To any fully trained framer, the solution to that problem would have meant three dollars worth of materials and half an hour labor cost while a narrowly specialized modern framer would call it a miss opportunity, lost money, bad luck or even worse.
As one can see, the use of electric power or modern technologies was in no way an issue there, but the lack of basic knowledge and practice in that frame related field was.
 
Meghan,
It happens more frequently than one may think, exactly because younger framers don't get the chance to leran the whole book on frames even if they'd like to.
 
Us older framers were once the younger framers. Todays younger framers will get their turn. I can see it now in 30-40 years. The old framers going on and on about contraptions they used to have to use called CMCs, etc.

John
 
Hi John,

I was purposefully painting with a large brush as to avoid hurting anybody’s feelings. In fact, in my parlance, “the old timer” was merely a poorly chosen euphemism for better-trained framers and “younger framer” another euphemism for modern, narrowly specialized framers. In fact age is not of relevance here. There are young framers who know plenty and are yet willing to learn more, as well as old timers that know little and yet specialize themselves in fewer operations pertaining to the vast domain of frame trade and art.
The sad part of our trade is the fact that there is no school in the world that would teach the art of framing and frame making from its foundations upward. As long as frame and framing were strictly about craftsmanship, there were as many valid reasons to be so as many gurus existed out there. But as framing became a business first, which technical and artistic standards are fully imagined and offered by its major suppliers in pre-chewed and easy to swallow servings, the lack of academic education and accreditation is painfully evident and PPFA with its CPF is not it. Consequently, custom framing has increasingly become a small initial investment; knowledge later type of business and many entered it and learned their ways about as they went. Unfortunately, modern time framers seem to be interested only in glazing, matting and fitting. I don’t even know anymore if their suppliers or the framers themselves are to be blamed for the current and future emaciation of the framing artistry. It looks to me more and more like a consensual affair. One thing is for certain in my mind: any time framers will trust others with one or the other of their expert knowledge and practice, somebody else will make more money and larger profits while framers dependency, vulnerability and ignorance will enlarge only.
 
Jim, you stated:

"I believe framers who fail to embrace the evolution of our industry are the ones who will too soon be "ill-fit...to make a living" as framers."

Bingo...you "hit the nail on the head" or as today's saying goes you "shot the nail on the head". I don't "rush to buy" everything NEW that comes out. It depends on the cost and "Would it be a MAJOR advantage over a long period of time to invest money in it?".... like a $10,000 double air-pneumatic mitre saw vs. a regular $125.00 mitre saw.

(If i owned $10,000 worth of the $125.00 mitre saws, i could own 80 of 'em!, BUT i am still glad i invested in the other...lol)


ajhohen
 
For me it's pretty simple: the more I know how to do, and do well, the more opportunities I have to be of use to my clients. This simple but deep lesson was learned at an early age from my framing role model.
I was very fortunate to be trained in a shop where the owner was a great designer, knew MOST of the many facets of framing and related services, and was ALSO an excellent businessman and administrator. His name is Gil Golde. As if this was not enough, he was highly imaginative,an excellent artist and pretty talented musically and could write well.
I know we all can't be lucky enough to have the opportunity to be exposed to that wide and deep a scope of influence under one roof, but its good to know that it existed, and I at least saw with my own eyes what could be done and what was possible!
Thanks Gil!!!
 
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