Advice to Erik...

...should he be reading this.

Irish Mike reminds me of Harry Partch, a composer who wrote music with intervals having integral ratios. He had to build special instruments, and described himself as "a musician seduced into carpentry".

Similarly, Mike is an artist who works in metal. He is not a welder who suddenly decided "it might be fun to make swords".

He is something I am not, and will never be -- a talented artist. Without that talent, simply being a skilled metalworker will never bring anyone up to Mike's level.

I urge you to stop competing with Mike and belittling him. Yes, he's hard to get along with at times. But he seems genuinely appreciative of good work. Do your job as well as you can, and I'm certain you will become the best Erik you can be, at whatever it is you do well.