Me, Procrastinate?

Those who have been reading my blog for years may vaguely recall the time, five years ago, when I wrote about meeting the miniatures artist who lives just a short distance from me. After talking to him that first time, I just couldn't quench the desire to try making a little something myself, and over the next few months, he was kind enough to work with me to help me come up with a suitable project. 

Way back when, I'd made myself a toy wooden carousel. OK, I ended up making five of them before I was satisfied with the end result, but the first four all found good homes. Never mind that part. The point here is that I was familiar with the project and how it went together, and Bill agreed it would be a good place to start.

He gave me any number of pointers, and a couple pieces of wood cut to the proper dimensions to use for building, and I got started with great enthusiasm, only to let the project languish time and time again. It wasn't that I couldn't do the work, or didn't want to, but there was always something else that seemed to need to get done first.

At least, that was my excuse. The real problem with finishing was that, somewhere in my head, my first attempt at making the miniature had to be as good as my fifth attempt at making the larger version of the carousel. So, every time something didn't turn out perfectly, which was often, I'd stop working for a while.

But, to my credit, I didn't just let it drop. I just KNEW I could do it if I tried, and I managed to convince myself to keep chipping away at it despite the flaws. At times, I'd let the task linger on my to-do list for six or seven weeks before taking even one next step, but eventually, I'd get out in the shop and spend an hour or two making progress.

This went on for several years. Finally, several months ago, on a follow-up visit to Bill to resolve my current set of roadblocks, I gathered up my courage and asked him if he would please give me enough wood to make version 2 once I'd finished version 1 of the toy. He obliged, and things have gone much more quickly since then - I now had permission to make mistakes, because I knew I would have another chance to get it right.

The final product isn't perfect, but even to my critical eye, it's a good first try. I now know enough to make different mistakes next time. Flaws and all, I feel a sense of pride and joy when I look at my tiny creation.

Baby steps, for the win!