Are there "Unwritten" rules to being a builder?

JacobsBest

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I am a new builder. I started this spring and have been enthusiastically attempting to learn everything I possibly can from the wonderfully helpful people I have encountered here and on the interwebs in general.
I thought it would be fun to post pictures of my works in progress and techniques to photobucket. However, I am getting a vibe such as this is not acceptable to do and is akin to a magician divulging their trades secrets. Is this so? Am I effectively ostracizing myself from more experienced builders? I finally feel as though I have a creative outlet and I only wanted to share my creative output.
 

Buck-Beaver

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Wherefrom are you getting this vibe?

You can absolutely post "work-in-progress" photos if you want to. Lots of artists do that. As for "trade secrets" if you've been building for less than a year I doubt you're doing anything that others haven't thought of. Post whatever you feel like sharing.

Years ago, some builders used to jealously hoard information to protect themselves financially out of fear, but the Internet disrupted that thanks in large part to forums like this where builders openly shared ideas. That's not to say that you have to tell everyone how you do everything, but without places like this and open sharing it would be a lot harder for people to learn how to build puppets in the first place.
 

JacobsBest

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Thank you for taking the time to respond. I am not encountering this problem here. I was however being mentored by an experienced builder for some time this year, but shortly after establishing my Photo-bucket account I got the cold shoulder. Knowing, as you mentioned how some people "hoard" their techniques, I was concerned that I had done something wrong. At any rate, I am satisfied with your take on the situation and will continue to share my learning experiences.
 

Buck-Beaver

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Well, you would have to of course discuss that with the person who is mentoring you.

Despite what I said above, if you are being mentored by someone one-on-one and then posting a lot of what they are teaching you online I could understand how that would irk them. It's a good idea in a situation like that to ask first, simply out of courtesy and respect.
 
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