As I'm only partway through my first bow, I don't have much to draw on here
... and I certainly do not and will not for a very long time consider myself a bowyer of any sort, but I did experience something that might be described as a kind of proud.
I have the garage set up pretty well to make bows now. There is some space used for storage, but mostly tools and bows; I leave the car outside. So there is a workbench, tools everywhere, wood shavings and sawdust, various kinds of wood in varying stages of drying under the bench, on the floor, in the rafters etc
Sometimes people come to the house, family and friends etc and catch me out there messing about, so they come in and see what's going on. These are usually people who have absolutely no experience with bows or archery or any kind, and in many cases woodwork in general.
They don't seem overly interested at first... there's nothing in there they have any connection to whatsoever, until they pick up my half finished elm bow. It's at the point where it's just starting to bend, but needs a little more before the long string, so it definitely looks and feels like a bow.
I'm not sure if you've ever witnessed this yourselves, but they get this smile and look of wonder on their face as they examine this thing. It's hard to explain, but these are people who have no experience or connection with bows, and something seems to be going on when they come into contact with my almost-bow.
I dunno if they're amazed at the transformation that's taken place from the twisted old elm stave to what they have in their hands, but it definitely evokes a kind of proud feeling to know that you can cause that reaction with something you made with your own hands... even if it is crude and destined to explode on the tiller tree, but they don't know that!!!
