Last week I gave away a huge amount of puppets and things to a local children's organisation (or at least someone who worked there). It included some of my first muppet-type puppets, ones I used in a show in 2007. At first I was glad to get rid of them as they had just been lying around in storage and at least this way they'll be used and appreciated. However I found that once they were gone I had a sense of regret. Particularly about one of them - my first blinking eyes - which totally got me by surprise because it was one of the ones I really wanted to kick out of the house. On the other hand the thing I wanted to keep the most - and had the least use for - I totally feel fine with getting rid of.

I have to admit I never normally feel this way when I'm selling my puppets, but as the majority of the things I got rid of were for personal use I guess I was kind of attached. I have others I could donate too, but didn't want to get rid of everything for sentimental reasons. I'm still glad I did give this lot away and am thinking I might donate the others too if I can; but still, I have a kind of withdrawal about it as if I should call up and ask for a few of them back.

Any of you experience the same thing? Ever regretted seeing your stuff walk out the house?

I've felt the same way.  You put a lot of time, energy and love into these projects and it's difficult to just hand them ever.

When we made our film I had every intention of giving away the puppets by letting each actor keep their character.  But I couldn't bring myself to do it.  So now I have them in my office, packed in a carton, taking up a LOT of space which I could use for other things.

So don't fret.  You're not alone.  It'll pass, I'm sure. 

Yes I have felt that way before.  The more you do it though the easier it gets.  

When we made our film I had every intention of giving away the puppets by letting each actor keep their character.  But I couldn't bring myself to do it.  So now I have them in my office, packed in a carton, taking up a LOT of space which I could use for other things.

Yeah, this is pretty much what I did: couldn't bring myself to ditch the puppets so I've been keeping them in storage for the past six or seven years. I finally thought to myself "Be practical. Stop being so sentimental. There's no room for anything new anymore. And you're never going to use these puppets again".

One of my friends was very practical about the things she made. In fact, I kept her model set from university set design class because she was just going to throw it away. It was amazing work, practically professional miniature doll house stuff. I couldn't believe she'd throw away something she worked so hard on and especially when it was that good. But she was right - if you keep everything just because you worked hard on it or you like it, you quickly lose space for the next thing that comes along.

I think more than likely I am just struggling to let go of a lot of the memories rather than the puppets themselves. Many of them came from the last show I worked on, back in '07, or things from my uni days, or the 'first ever' of something I'd made. It's surprising how much of the journey of the puppet I am fond of, rather than the puppet itself, though it's the keeping of the puppet that reminds you of it.

I'm still trying to figure out what to do with a couple of things. I have my bunraku head that I made which I'm really proud of - even though it doesn't work properly - simply because very few people get the opportunity to make one and it is one of my favourite types of puppetry. But at the same time... it doesn't work, it smells (the glue never dried properly), it's not something I'd use, and it requires careful storage.

And there's my giant lego city which I hope to donate, but don't see anyone actually taking it since it's so... unusual, bulky and really only good for display.

Yes I have felt that way before.  The more you do it though the easier it gets.

I've felt the same way.  You put a lot of time, energy and love into these projects and it's difficult to just hand them ever.

I hope so! I think the main thing that mitigates the loss is that I know they're going to be used and enjoyed. The person who took them was quite gleeful to see the blinking eyes, and immediately wanted to keep the moppets, and it was interesting that they commented that my older moppets were harder to use than the newer one. They took a stack of my old shadow puppets and rods that I never sold and won't be selling again; puppet eyes to use for their puppet classes; even some stuff I thought was very crap and I'd never be able to give away... But I'm happy because there will be children out there who get to play with them and learn about them and it's so much better than having these pretty things hide away in a closet somewhere.

I think if I'd just trashed the whole lot then I'd be quite upset at losing them.

Also having lots of photos of things helps. I can always go back and look at the photos and the documentation I've made of building things. Part of documentation is being able to rebuild, so I feel like I can always make another one if I want

I think what you did was great. What a blessing for them. You have a great future ahead. Celebrate the past, keep looking forward and your feelings will change. The more you give the more you will want to give and the greater your sense of accomplishment will be.

Julie

I know how you feel, I have let go and quit doing puppets 3 times, only to start again.  I wondered if the people I gave the puppets to would take good care of them or if they just stuck them in a closet until they were thrown out.  One time I went to see a show of one of my ugliest puppets and I was so pleased to see that he was much loved by a large group of kids.  I think we should just imagine that all our donated puppets are well loved and appreciated so we can cope with missing them. I wish I had done a better job of taking pictures.  I decorated cakes and you can't keep them, in fact someone tears them apart, I cannot bear to watch them be destroyed, I at least took pictures of them before their demise. I made a large whale puppet after the chinese dragon style he was maybe 8 feet long and we used him as a game in fall carnival for several years. I left him when we moved and when I came back for a visit once I saw him in the dumpster, it broke my heart.

I think what you did was great. What a blessing for them. You have a great future ahead. Celebrate the past, keep looking forward and your feelings will change. The more you give the more you will want to give and the greater your sense of accomplishment will be.

Julie

Thanks Julie, I hope things do get better. As for more giving... actually I feel kind of the opposite right now. Although not really to do with this as such, but I've been quite charitable - more than was necessary I think now - over the past decade and it's kind of worn me down. It's far easier to be charitable when you have things to give away and money/resources coming in; and even easier to be charitable when people don't take advantage of that fact. In fact, the constant 'taking' of my kindness with nothing to show for it (and certainly no sense of accomplishment) has made me weary of it.

I think actually my current situation warrants and allows for time to be selfish. There's no person in the world right now who would disagree that living broke, unemployed and unhappily unhealthy is a time in which you should be focused on making everyone else's lives easier.

It just so happens that helping myself out of the hole means giving things away 

Sorry, that sounds terrible. I generally enjoy being charitable and it's a reflex to do as much as I can for the next person, but at this point in time I just need to look after myself. That would be an accomplishment.

I know how you feel, I have let go and quit doing puppets 3 times, only to start again.  I wondered if the people I gave the puppets to would take good care of them or if they just stuck them in a closet until they were thrown out.  One time I went to see a show of one of my ugliest puppets and I was so pleased to see that he was much loved by a large group of kids.  I think we should just imagine that all our donated puppets are well loved and appreciated so we can cope with missing them. I wish I had done a better job of taking pictures.  I decorated cakes and you can't keep them, in fact someone tears them apart, I cannot bear to watch them be destroyed, I at least took pictures of them before their demise. I made a large whale puppet after the chinese dragon style he was maybe 8 feet long and we used him as a game in fall carnival for several years. I left him when we moved and when I came back for a visit once I saw him in the dumpster, it broke my heart.

I've considered not doing puppets for a bit. I guess I kind of am now while I sort out some other stuff. It's funny because everyone tells me how passionate I am about puppets but to be fair I think I'd like anything so long as it involved building things. Puppets just happens to be the flavour of the ... decade.

I can't imagine making cakes though. Not only do I not have the patience for being a pastry chef - I'm more of a crockpot cook  - but I think people hacking into a cake I spent so long carefully decorating would make me sad. So much work... I have the same sentiments for people who do pyrotechnics and sets for movies - so much work to make a set, only to blow it up!

So sad that your whale ended up in the trash. I really think some people have no clue as to the work that goes into something, and so they just dump it. All I did was post an ad on a local classifieds site, and mentioned that the things were available to anyone who wanted them - for free - and the only cost was shipping if necessary. There was no fee for posting the ad, so it cost me nothing to get rid of them and nothing (gas for driving perhaps) to pick them up. It's easier for me because I can get rid of it faster, especially for things that I have no earthly reason to expect a price on (old and squashed puppets for example).

Instead of trashing someone's hard work all you have to do is put up one ad in the right place. Bam, item gone, and to someone who wants it.

Mean whale trashing people mutter mutter mutter...   

I think we have all felt the same way when moving puppets and items on, I know I did the first time I ever sold a puppet because I had put all this time and effort into making it and I had become quite attached to it and could see myself using it (in my head I had created numerous routines and funny bits for using the puppet) but after a while of making and selling puppets, it does get a lot easier and nowadays the feeling of making puppets, learning new things and being able to supply financially for my family by making and selling puppets gives me a great feeling and knowing that someone is using your puppet and its making them happy is brilliant, I just learned to take a lot of photos of my work and to not forget my roots and those first creations!!

Yeah, it's odd. In my head I'm totally not attached to the things I make specifically for sale. Those are just "whatevers", that while I take pride in making, once it leaves my hands I no longer think about it or worry about it - minus the small concern over customer problems of course.

But the things I made for myself or my shows... it's tough. I guess because it was for me I invested more emotion into it. No different than selling your house I guess, it's difficult to leave behind something that holds memories for a variety of reasons. But selling other people's houses for a living would be different because you have no attachment to the places.

Not puppet related but i saved up and bought a beautiful hand made Bass guitar from my first ever paying job.
Had it for years man and boy, played it in umpteen bands and hundreds of gigs. Got married had kids then got a 'proper' job.
Alas it had lain under the bed for a good 10 years after i gave up gigging. I decided that it wasn't getting used and belonged to 'another lifetime' so decided to sell it to a collector who had seen it and was desperate to add it to his already huge collection.
My bottom lip still quivers when I think about it. It was such a big part of my life for sooo long, i should never have let it go.
Stupid really, it was just a guitar....sniffle!