Ask Adam Anything #7: Asking for Help

42 thoughts on “Ask Adam Anything #7: Asking for Help”

1. That was pretty much spot on… I work in automotive CAD modelling and did so for 5 years as a freelancer. Which is really hard as a first job because the customer expects someone to come in and solve their problems, not someone who has questions. So especially when you work in a job where you switch customers on a regular basis and are part of a team sometimes only for a few weeks up to a few months you really have to develop a sense of who you can ask for help if you get stuck so that you dont make yourself look incompetent to the Bosses.

   About two years ago I started a job at a big automotive supplier with a steady team and it is interesting how much faster you can develop on a professional level when you are surrounded by people that support you and vice versa.

   Thanks Adam and Tested for this Series!

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2. Here is my question, with a bit of lead up.

   I’ve always wanted to hit up a convention and ask you somethin during a QA but thats been difficult living in Canada with our lack of localized content. I frequently enjoy content from Tested, lots of content creators, big fan of Alton Brown. And you guys put lots of your QA and interviews online. There is a lot of repeating questions, and common themes, and when you step back and look at it all as a whole I find that element quite interesting. You get asked, ‘whats your favorite explosion?’ and ‘what is your favorite myth?’ and the question I wanna ask is sorta two fold;

   In this giant journey of QAs and panels, and meeting people, and fame and opportunities…can you share your thoughts on this journey, this ride, and reflect on what it has been like? And second, what is one question that you were never asked in an interview or QA, but you want to answer?

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3. I think an interesting follow-up to this would be: How do you give useful help to someone who asks for it?

   I found that any time I asked for help and someone uttered the words “It’s easy…” they came off as insulting and/or arrogant. If it was easy for me, I wouldn’t need or want help. It may actually be easy for you because you’ve set something up or learned something that I haven’t. That bit of set up or learning that you have and I don’t is probably the help I need.

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4. Hey Adam,

   Two things. First, while I was watching this I was thinking about how great it would be if could just pop back in time (totally incognito of course) and tell ourselves, “Don’t worry, man, you’ve got this.” Or, “Dude, I can see you’re having trouble with this. If I were you I’d ask so-and-so for help.”

   Also, when you said that you are taking questions in the comments, it means that you actually read the comments. ANd that means a lot to the people who take the time to post something. I want to thank you, and everyone at Tested for the the great work you do.

   PS. I came here to watch the latest Still Untitled, and this was about the third, “I’ll just watch this first…” video I watched (and I have 2 more queued up in other tabs).

   Thanks.

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5. Hi Adam,

   My question is simple: How do you motivate to finish a project, and not stop when it is nearly done to start an new project. I have this a lot..

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6. As always in this life you want Golden mean.

   Asking help and opinion on your work, can lead to great results.

   But other extreme is to ask for help too much without thinking yourself.

   This is known as “Learned Helplessness”.

   And it is mentality that you can not achieve anything and always ask for help.

   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YMPzDiraNnA

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7. Nice one, Adam!

   I’ve often asked for help and and on many occasions, while I’m explaining my project and where I have a problem, I actually solve it myself. It’s about stepping aside and looking at your problem from a different perspective. While you’re explaining your problem to the one helping you, you get into details that might help you realize that’s wrong.

   I also think it’s important to be humble enough to admit: “that person is better than me at this, I’ll go ask him/her for help”. I also might learn something new by watching their technique and hearing about how they see a certain topic.

   My question to Adam You’ve once (probably several times) said that you’re a collector of skills. Do you most often first think of a new skill you’de like to try and then figure out a project for it or do you more often already have a project and think “hmm, I could take this opportunity to try out this new method”? Right now I’m really interested in the Arduino circuit boards but I don’t have anything right now that I’d like to build so I’m blocked. Got any tips?

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8. Thank you so much for answering my question! I greatly appreciate it. Excellent edition, and suggestion Norm as well. I was unfamiliar with the impostor complex I now wish to learn more about it as well.

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9. My Question To Adam

   My position in work is relatively senior. Part of my job is to be a mentor to other developers. My bewilderment grows every time my statements or opinions seem to carry weight. I keep thinking, “I’m making this shit up as I go along!”. This is doubly so within my team as I learn from each one of them every day.

   I firmly believe that the payment for acquiring knowledge is to give it away to anyone interested but as a sufferer of Imposter Syndrome, how do you become a good mentor?

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10. Q: Adam, as someone that truly lives in the goldfish bowl, you must field dozens of requests daily for collaboration, public appearances, and advice. How do you navigate this particular aspect of your life? Thanks…Mike

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11. It’s not just me that thinks Adams going grey very suddenly right? He really pulls it off though.

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12. Hello Adam and Tested, I have really been enjoying the Ask Adam segments and I have a quick question I have been wondering for awhile. What happened to the round mirror in your shop? I notice it is near the sander and can’t help wondering if that has anything to do with it. Which leads me to wonder how you deal with shop mishaps. Do you just ignore it and keep working or take a break to recollect yourself before diving back in?

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13. I always thought the mirror in the shop looked a hell of a lot like the mirror in Bladerunner where Deckert examines the replicant’s photos with thephoto enhancement device.

    https://youtu.be/QkcU0gwZUdg?t=133

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14. How do you determine what to keep and let go of so that collecting doesn’t evolve into hoarding? I find it difficult to let go of things that are rare or hard to find even when I have no use for them. Bottom line…When to let go.

    Thanks

    Darren

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15. Darren, above posted an EXCELLENT question that I would love to see your opinion on, Adam. I have often found myself saying: When does something stop being a collection and when does it become just an amassment? Is not the best collection a well CURATED one?

    In addition, that would be interesting to see applied to well-relied-upon things like tools. When do you take that chance that something you have not used in a while is worth the risk of leaving your hands with the thought that it probably won’t be called for again in your arsenal?

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16. GREAT question!

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17. That is a good question. I think it becomes an amassment the second you can not display it neatly. I think if you are collecting and you have things that you can not display then you have too much, Obviously it is different if you have space to build or purchase cabinets for and you are waiting to display until that is done. If it has to reside in a box because there is no place it can ever go then you have too much and you may want to thin it out a bit. I just built a display cabinet for a bunch of star wars items that I have had for almost 20 years in a box so I know display space can take a while to find.

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18. Hi Adam – totally off the subject, but . . . You have talked about taking your boys camping in the past. Were you ever a Boy Scouts?

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19. +1 to this comment – I’m mid-level at best but the only mechanical/hands-on person at my robotics job. SO many people are asking for my advice now though – what should be some mentor goals?

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20. Hey Adam, you’ve often answered what your favorite tools are, but I was wondering what are your favorite materials to work with?

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21. Great topic! My experience as a maker and problem solver in general is that the actual act of preparing you question (like writing an email) often solves the problem for you. I guess that when you put some structure to your thoughts you often end up discovering the answer along the way.

    I’ve many times spent weeks working on a problem, and the minute I pressed send on that email I have had to write a second saying I just figured it out.

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22. I’d love to hear Adam’s answer to this question as well. I went through this exact same experience with Arduino boards. I loved the concept, but didn’t have any ideas for projects. My solution to this problem was to learn as much as possible about Arduinos and their functionality and eventually I started to see projects pop up all over the place. Any time you want something to light up or move, you can bet that an Arduino could be useful. They’re very useful in prop builds. I built a custom lightsaber that uses an Arduino to make it light up, make sounds, and respond to me swinging it. Just my two cents.

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23.   it’s kinda funny, I generally have the complete opposite reaction when someone tells me something is easy. When I am at my wits end with something, I find great relief in someone being able to come up and resolve my issue. I learn a bunch from the process, even though it is sometimes quite humbling.

    On the flip side, if someone comes up and says it’s easy, and ends up not being able to resolve the issue, i find it reassuring in a way. For some reason, after that, it helps to refocus and try look at the problem in a completely different light.

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24.   great question! Norm/Adam, please choose this one!

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25. Adam,

    Watching that foamcore memories video I was struck by the thought that that particle accelerator project must have been near the end at ILM. Could you see the end coming? Did you make plans or look for now skills like computer modeling as alternatives? Looking at the changes coming what future did you see for professional modelmaking and what future do you see now?

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26. Adam,

    WEre the plans for house you built made by CAD or REVIT or some other software? Second, if you do have a 3D model of the house have you ever decided to make a 3-D print from it? Ones with the doors/window opening and closing, etc.

    Thanks,

    Tim – Clover, SC (near Charlotte, NC)

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27. Hi Adam,

    I don’t have a question for you, but I am very interested in more of your past movie fx work, could you do a video on what you have worked on.

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28. I would answer by saying the best time to ask for help is, simply put, when you need it. I say that because the only thing worse than asking for help is not finding any. Though a problem much less common in this age of information, anyone who has searched for an answer on Google and come up empty can testify.

    Likewise, I think it’s far too often that we take our peers or colleagues for granted. Use them! They may be experts on topics we think we know nothing about. Because I can tell you, it’s much harder to accomplish a task when there is no one to turn to.

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29. Here is my request for Adam.
    I would like you to explain scales and the mathematic formula for making things to scale. From models to using photographs to make full scare props and items. It’s something I’m not 100% on and since you explain things so nicely I thought you could do So for me
    Thanks
    Joe doc

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30. Question for Adam:

    When starting complex projects like your R2 unit, or Helboy Mecha-glove, how do you make the project easily digestible?

    I often find myself bouncing off larger projects fairly quickly as they intimidate me. Is there a replica project you would like to undertake but feel overwhelmed by its complexity?

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31. A trivial question, perhaps: I watched your video wherein you build a model of your childhood home … out of foam core board. You mentioned that it was kind of the adult upgrade to working in corrugated cardboard. 🙂 I have been hunting for foam core board and find it oddly hard to find. I did find it on Amazon, but the idea of having something that fragile shipped terrifies me. I can just imagine the dents and mashed corners and edges. When I tried the local outlets I found mostly very small sized sheets (12×24) and such like. It seems that larger sizes would often be more useful. I’m not sure as I’ve not worked in that medium before.

    I love the idea of prototyping in a cheap medium before making mistakes in more expensive material. I have one wood working project in mind that I feel is complex enough to warrant prototyping before sacrificing even something as inexpensive as plywood.

    No matter your answer, I thank you for the excellent example of how you produced a complex build in that medium.

    P.S. I was also inspired by your story of one of your first build … the full body suit that you wore to school and passed out in. LOL 🙂

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32. Since you bring up failure what do you feel is the best way to cope with failure. Do you shy away from risk, the unknown, and stick with what you know or do you continue to dive into dangerous territory that holds a high probability of failure?

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33. Hey Adam,

    I guess I should preface this with, this is not really a question. I just saw Jamie’s videos on the Discovery website from about 2 years ago where he shows his onsite toolkit. I can’t tell you how many time I have re-watched your tool/tool cart videos, but most of those are things that you keep at your shop. So my request is that you show your portable kit, and if you don’t have one can you explain why not?

    Thanks Ryan

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34. Could you provide some advice on experimenting with materials someone never used before or materials that one is not well versed in? I myself am a welder by trade and have never been very handy with woodworking as metal is my forte, but I want to become better with wood as I know it is a vital material in prop making. P.S. this not a question specific to just wood, but any materials that one may not be familiar with.

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35. How often should you challenge yourself? How often should you stay within the realm of what you already know?

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36. Hi Adam,

    My question is simple: How do you motivate to finish a project, and not stop when it is nearly done to start an new project. I have this a lot..

    And perhaps as a follow on, how do you know when to let a project fall by the way-side?

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37. My question for Adam:

    So, Mythbusters has inspired.. well, an entire generation of makers at this point! But are there any TV shows, YouTube builders, etc that you put on if you’re in need of a boot to your inspiration?

    Thanks!

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38. I have no problem with asking for help. I’m a design engineer and also a project manager. I simply plot out which deadlines I can make on my own and which will get done by getting help.

    Last year I programmed a control system for shop and stores which have multiple counters and want to keep the customer flow flowing. My boss had already sold the system without even having it and tasked me to make a fully working prototype for a boardmeeting he also already planned. I finished it on time, presented it and they liked it. So the product was accepted and now I had 2 months to tidy up the programming and implement a couple of additional functions. But there was also another stack of projects with deadlines on my desk. So I just looked at this project and thought: everything what needs to be done is clear. Everything works and the additional stuff isn’t impossible to program. Let’s see if anyone in IT wants to help… 🙂

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39. it’s kinda funny, I generally have the complete opposite reaction when someone tells me something is easy. When I am at my wits end with something, I find great relief in someone being able to come up and resolve my issue. I learn a bunch from the process, even though it is sometimes quite humbling.

    On the flip side, if someone comes up and says it’s easy, and ends up not being able to resolve the issue, i find it reassuring in a way. For some reason, after that, it helps to refocus and try look at the problem in a completely different light.

    “Look, it’s easy, you just have to…”

    “All you have to do is simply…”

    But don’t you just hate it when some instructional video or instruction book or tutorial starts out by saying that some process is easy or simple? Don’t prefix your explanation by saying it’s easy! That puts all the pressure on the learner. The teacher is telling the learner that failure to understand the explanation is the learner’s fault, and a judgement that the learner is incompetent.

    If I’m learning something and the textbook or the instructions tell me something is easy to understand, I get annoyed. I will be the judge of what is easy, thank you very much.

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40. This is one of the most meaningful videos that Adam/Tested has done. I’m a software dev and have/do often wrestle with imposter syndrome. To hear Adam speak to this, especially referencing his time at ILM, is incredibly cool. I implore you guys to expand on this at some point, and put it out there on the non-premium side. I think it could be an encouragement to many people. Cheers.

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41. After years of troubleshooting I have learned a few things.
    1) sometimes calling for help. phoning, emailing or paging for help can take the pressure off enough that you can focus on the solution. I have almost always resolved a problem when I sent out the call for help just knowing it would be forthcoming.
    2) you can ask one person or if you are in a team meeting you can ask everyone for input. If you ask one person then you are stuck with that persons assistance unless they give up. If you go for a second opinion you just offended the first person. If you ask the team you get may get more help than you need. Choose wisely.

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42. I’m obviously REALLY late to the game as I just now finally signed up for premium. This is inspirational because I truly struggle. I find myself with immense anxiety and stomach pains whenever I need to ask for help in my profession (creative professional) and it often leaves me feeling defeated.

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