Hello,
We need to do some sublimation and vinyl cutting, and it appears we need training first. I see nothing on the calendar and no online courses.
How do we go about getting enabled for these devices if there is no training?
Thanks!
-Rob
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Good morning!
So glad you’re interested in Dye Sub! Cary is an excellent teacher and has years of experience in Dye Sub. However, we are volunteer based and I know life can get in the way for all our teachers at times.
January-March is hard for me to teach due to my 9-5 work and travel commitments.
We also need more volunteers to teach dye sub so it doesn’t always fall on Cary, which is why you don’t see many or any classes at the moment.
I know he posted in discord he’s had some personal things he’s focused on right now and that always comes first.
Hopefully in the next few weeks some classes are posted but until then we ask not to mess with the printer or heat presses until you have full training and signed off on the equipment in our system.
These items are really expensive and need the right training.
Please be patient while Cary works out his personal things before he can teach.
Appreciate your understanding.
-Gena
Is there online material I can go through at all for this? For expensive stuff that could be dangerous, and policies that need to be followed regarding how to use the equipment the DMS way, I’d think there’d have to be reference material.
I just checked the calendar - it’s been 3 1/2 months since dye sublimation 101 was offered. It sounds like this is likely to go to 4 1/2 months or more. That’s 40% of an entire year new members are blocked from using tools and joining your community, with no alternative path proposed.
I’d LOVE to be a part of things, to be enabled, to volunteer and help bolster the brand, but I’m literally blocked from doing so.
So apparently the earlier discord conversation was not clear.
As you were informed in the new member orientation- if a class is not up- just ask for it.
The primary teacher has already gone beyond the scope of reason and explained his personal tragedy to you- an explanation that you apparently didn’t care about. And additionally said he would put up a class for you, on top of everything else he has going in his life.
In the last two weeks, I, personally have:
Spent more than 10 hrs reviewing the software upgrade that bricked our system.
Wrote a new training for it.
Trained a new dye sublimation teacher.
Do you want us to shoot the manager, too?
All you have done is complain at tired volunteers that are doing their best. Even AFTER solutions have been offered to you.
This is not being excellent, kind, or even reasonable.
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What solution was offered? I was told there was only one trainer. Whenever I ask things here people jump down my throat - I don’t know these things, information here is spread across 4 different systems, and there are even two of us looking for the information. Don’t blame me for asking questions and then getting defensive when someone acts like HR and jumps down my throat.
EVERYONE has personal issues. Have a heart and don’t assume the only ones with personal issues are the ones you know about.
I’m out - I don’t care about the sublimation anymore.
He told you he’d put up a class next week. in discord. when you first asked for it this morning.
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Just checked - and yes he did, you’re right - it was on the chat system, lost in the replies telling me to be patient and hold on. Multiple systems create communications fragmentation, just like they create information inconsistencies (is it wiki, or source, or discord, or talk? Are the classes online or on calendar and do they really exist or is the reference an artifact from a retired course?) - especially for new members without years of tribal knowledge.
Thanks for assuming I’d seen that and jumping down my throat though.
I’m done asking questions here entirely and done with dye sublimation at DMS - this is my leisure time, and I’d prefer to be learning, leading, or building - and it seems there are parts of DMS that just aren’t setup for that.
Hey there,
Sorry for the confusion. Yes the multiple platforms of communication is frustrating. It’s been brought up in our committee chair meetings but sadly no conclusion to combine these have happened.
At this time, we don’t have any online materials for Dye Sub. That is something I can bring up to our Creative Arts Committee meeting to see if that is a possibility but I do know the teachers like to watch students interact hands on to make sure they understand the steps since it’s several steps and also with the equipment settings.
-Gena
I am usually very non-confrontational and really don’t like calling people out but I believe that some of the things you said here are so inconsistent with excellence to others that I just can’t ignore it.
Yes, this is your leisure time being inconvenienced but the same holds true for teachers. You seem to think that teachers are obligated to offer classes on demand regardless of their personal circumstances. After your questions posted at midnight, the primary teacher responded to you on discord at 7am and offered to put up a class next week despite dealing with a serious family situation… what more could you ask?
You were the one that overlooked his response and then came to talk to put him on blast. I feel its unreasonable to expect that a teacher who is busy dealing with family needs should be more responsive to your “needs” for a class.
Finally, I think its unreasonable to blame communication fragmentation on individual teachers. Much of our fragmentation has come about from failed attempts to standardize. There have always been users unwilling to use one system or another.
Relevant XKCD:
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I think you’ve misread - I didn’t criticize the teacher at all, and he wasn’t on blast. In fact, I empathize with him being the only teacher (or so I was led to believe), and being so great at it that there were no communicated substitutes to fill his void while he isn’t in a position to teach. He’s a huge and very appreciated success. He’s a teacher, it’s not on him fill that void.
I also empathize with people who would like to grow but cannot.
I didn’t realize posting on talk was “putting on blast” - I’ll stop posting altogether, as opposed to just not asking questions.
Consider me chilled.
Have a great day.
-Rob
No one is suggesting that you shouldn’t ask questions here. In fact, I would encourage you to ask for the classes you want sooner next time, as most of the time people try to accommodate those requests. The tone of your posts suggest perhaps the frustration has built up for some time before you posted.
The group is simply asking that you keep in mind we are a fully volunteer run organization, and the teachers are donating their free time to help people grow around the space. This means that some things take a little longer at times because life gets busy for everyone.
We do currently offer more than 50 classes per month, so perhaps find something else that interests you and take those classes while you wait, you never know where you’ll find your next favorite hobby.
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I think this is very well said and very diplomatically said at that.
I think one of the biggest misunderstandings here is that not everyone realizes that oftentimes the “main teacher” is likely the one who has donated countless volunteer hours to set up the capability in the first place. The statement that Cary is just “a teacher, it’s not on him fill that void” could not be further from the truth. Cary basically IS dye sub in the same way that I’m responsible for the current version of “Science Sunday.”
As such, I don’t think he understood how statements much like “training is required for many machines but hasn’t been offered for months, isn’t scheduled, and isn’t important enough to record or document” could be taken as unwarranted criticism. Then and again, I don’t think criticizing what feels like half the chairs and SIG leaders as well as logistics volunteers who apparently “jumped down his throat” and need to grow up is the most productive way of requesting a class. But that’s just me, maybe I’m again misunderstanding how things work.
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