Your Crafting Nemesis

Let's face it... we all have a crafting nemesis. That pattern that just wont work. The materials that fight us tooth and nail, and twist and turn when we'd prefer them cooperative and pliant. The wires that break, the swirls that wont swirl, the yarn that tangles, the dress that breaks the sewing machine. Oh yes... we've all been there.

And I'm admitting to you now that my crafting nemesis is rings.

Any kind of ring. All kinds. If it's a ring, I am going to be fighting to bring it to life. It's a labor of love, of course, but labor nonetheless. And sizing? Pft. Forget about it. I'm lucky if I finish a ring that was just randomly made without a size in mind. Usually a size 11 because I didn't plan ahead and, in my head, I have the fingers of a mountain troll, apparently.

But there's something to be said about working through a creative struggle and coming out the other side having (hopefully) learned a little something. Okay, so maybe that something isn't a perfectly executed finished project. I might never get sizing down. The wire might always fumble through my mountain troll fingers. But I've learned patience. I've learned a little about ingenuity. I've also learned that sometimes it doesn't matter at all what you're left with, but getting there is where the fun is at.

"Strength and growth come only through continuous effort and struggle." Napoleon Hill

If you're a returning visitor to my site or blog, you might remember that I've discussed insecurities and blocks previously, and working towards bypassing or overcoming these constant bedfellows to the creative soul. And facing our nemesis is just another part of that amazing journey.

And how do we beat these nemesis into submission? We don't.

I'm serious. We don't. We just allow the process to happen. We start that project, we fight our way through it, and maybe next time, the fight wont be quite so hard.

And that's okay. There's nothing at all wrong with admitting the struggle is real. I'd say there might even be value in enjoying the struggle from time to time. Because no matter the outcome of those wayward projects, we're still giving birth to something... still expressing ourselves and (if I may indulge in cliche) releasing a part of our sunshine into the world. Maybe that will inspire others to find their own struggles and then find their way beyond them.