Failing over the horizon.

Welcome to Fails Better, a crafting blog /  journey of self discovery for a crafter of many crafts.

In these pages, you will find spectacular failures, accidental wins, and the glint of success in progress. 

We will be covering crafts including but not limited to: Fiber arts, sewing, cooking, fine art, photography, music and whatever else myself or those near and dear to me try our hands at.

One of the obstacles that plagues me is perfectionism. I know there is a school of thought that says the road to learning skills is to conquer and tame them to your will.

For me, that mistaken belief flares up and blinds me when my first or second or tenth attempt isn't perfect and makes me forget that there is always, always, always a learning curve.

I end up with piles of abandoned ideas because I can't execute them perfectly, and miss out on the joy of of making something just because. I also miss out on the lessons they could teach me about the next project.

A very wise woman and multitalented artist (who happens to be my sister) told me that you have to be willing to suck at something in order to become good at it.

There's a certain arrogance in limiting yourself to total perfectionism. It narrows your scope and limits your growth. It saps your energy and becomes an obstacle on the road to your best work.

It means you never get to play.

I've never had a work I've been a hundred percent happy with, no matter how objectively good it is. Even if I think it's decent, I still feel that need to point out flaws that nobody else will notice or care about.

That's not okay, and I want to find a happy medium between critique and criticism, between learning and laughing and loving what I do.

Now, that doesn't mean you shouldn't do your best work, even if you're playing, and if your best work is exactly everything you want it to be already? Congratulations! Feel free to grab some popcorn and read along anyway- demigods are welcome here.

But for the rest of us mere mortals, pull up a chair and a notebook, class is in session, but there will be no homework, just homeplay. Play along with us and above all else, don't forget to have fun!