Just before I left to go on holiday I got to spend a couple of hours with my lovely friend Claire. Those of you who came last year will remember her - she was the gorgeous blonde who looked after you alongside the lovely Anna. So Claire and I were having a chat upstairs at her pretty pretty shop about how there are a lot of things that she doesn't even start knitting because she isn't sure of how they will turn out. And a bit inside my brain started going hmmmm. I started wondering whether I did it and if so how often.
Y'know how it goes. You invest all that time and energy into a project and it doesn't quite turn out how you wanted. This happens to you a few times and then you start getting twitchy about beginning, knowing that the end product might ultimately lead to some dissatisfaction or even borderline physical pain. Some people might start avoiding particular types of projects whereas other people may even give up entirely.
And that probably makes sense. Most people have limited time to make and you don't want to waste it making things that don't work…..
But I've started thinking that not making is totally a false economy. By not making you don't even get the opportunity for it to go right AND you don't get the practice. Each time you make a mistake you learn something - right?
I know I do it. Avoid starting stuff because I'm not sure of the outcome or start but get stuck in the middle. But then I watched this new TED video this week that reminded me that the near miss has real value on the road to mastery. And that mastery is the goal, not success because success is a one time event. And mastery involves improving your skills over time…which can only happen if you get in the game.
There is a life lesson in there somewhere - yes?
I've been thinking about a way forward. The only way for me to get around it in my making is to be super conscious. Going back to that visual diary obviously, but also simply looking at stuff that keeps coming up that I really want to make but don't. And then I almost need to schedule a time to start. Without being that structured avoidance seems to be where I live - and that is not the way forward.
So here is a commitment - this week I am going to start my little fella's quilt. I'm off to iron. Anything you need to start this week?
Felicia x
