Nailed it!
Why it’s ok to try and fail at crafting?
The inspiration of this post is in large part due to a craft fair I did this weekend. Repeatedly I heard lady after lady say that they wished they could make crafts like mine. Or if they attempted a project it would look like a two year old completed it. Why, oh why, ladies are we so hard on ourselves? You are far more capable than you are giving yourself credit for!
With the popularity of Pinterest still growing every day, we are exposed to so many more projects, talents and ideas than ever before. With this new exposure also comes the complex of oh my goodness, I’m not that creative, I could never make something like that, if I tried to make that it would look horrible. We’ve all seen the nailed it memes that prove this is the case for some people. We have all been there, we see the coolest project on-line and we excitedly run out the craft store to purchase the needed supplies. Armed with our craft arsenal we sit down to let our creativity do its work. We try and try and try, sometimes for hours only to end up with a hot glued, hot mess! You step back and wonder, what the heck?? That looked so simple in the instructions. Why oh why does mine look like a Martha Stewart nightmare?!
So many projects start with grand visions of the finished results? Oh, the awesomeness we can all picture in our heads! But just like so many things in life, things don’t always go as planned. BUT guess what?!? That is OK!
Ilka Chase once said, “The only people who never fail are those who never try.” If you never give yourself an opportunity to fail, you will never know what you can truly accomplish. If you would have told me 5 years ago about all the projects I would eventually get into, I would have never believed you. I had hardly held a paintbrush, never made a cake, had not touched a sewing machine in 20 years and my glue gun was dust covered. Now I need a devoted space for crafting and have a craft supply hoard that rivals a Hobby Lobby stock room. You never know what projects will start a new passion and take you down an entirely new creative road.
Remember that you are your own worst critic; no one will ever be as hard on you as you are on yourself. It is ok to completely crash and burn on a project, scrap it and walk away. Not every style of craft will be your forte. Just like in life, every single one of us has our strengths and weaknesses. You will probably never, ever, ever see a sculpting project on this blog. I tried it, I’m awful at it and I won’t be doing it again any time soon. I had a lot of frustration over not being able to figure the 4 million types of sculpting clay out there. (Trust me I bought them all!)
DO NOT let yourself be caught up in comparisons and frustration. Not every mom is going to have the time or energy to supply the perfectly decorated snacks at soccer games or homemade Valentines complete with homemade candy. If that isn’t your skill or inclination, SO BE IT! Never should you let another crafters skills, project load or productivity get you down. You keep trucking along and only work on projects that excite you and that do not feel like work to complete. This is supposed to be your respite, your calm place, you happy place. Create things that make you happy, that you are proud of. Remember to always just give it your best try and have the trash can and your patience close by if needed. My husband and I laugh now when I totally bomb a project, say, “Nailed It!” and move on to my next try or next project. It does not seem all that important any more if I try and fail, only that I keep trying! Enjoy and Happy Crafting! Angela
P.S.- Here are a few of my crash and burns to keep you motivated.
Oh the Easter egg wreath…. I tried and failed and trashed the silly thing because it just never did work! I admitted defeat and purchased one I quite like from my local craft store.
Crayon Art- who has not seen this project on-line! Word of advice skip the blacks and the browns!
Lego Head- I worked so hard to make this lumpy mess and then ripped it to shreds!
My first attempt at Rice Krispy sculpting for a cake, I’ll just let you use your imagination to see why this tree did not go according to plan.
First test drive around the block with construction paper and my Silhouette machine, the sticky mat won!
Tried to make homemade fruit roll ups, ended up with crackly, thin, crunchy weird fruit crisps.
