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This is why I never get stuff done
Feb. 13th, 2014 02:35 pmSo I have specific Things I want to do craftingwise ... and I never get them done, because Reasons.
One of the more frequent Reasons is something I've had as an issue since I was a kid. I don't know how much of this is innate to my personality, how much was intentionally taught by my parents (especially my mom) and how much was unintentionally taught by my parents, but it is basically this: You can practice as much as you need to but it is super important to never mess up with the real thing.
When I was a kid, my mom would photocopy coloring books/pages so that I could color the copies instead of the original. From a grownup standpoint, this makes sense: coloring a decent copy is the same as coloring the original, but you can do it over and over again without having to buy a gajillion books. From a kid perspective, this told me that coloring books, aka real things, were precious and should not be used unless you were absolutely sure you could Do It Right, but copies, aka practice, could be done indefinitely. I don't think this is the message she meant for me to learn, but brains are weird.
Same thing with, say, writing a letter or an essay or something: write out in pencil what you are going to say, and then when you're satisfied, ink it on the final product.
So this applies to crafting: I can not mess up on the finished product, or with the expensive yarn, or whatever, so if there's a new technique, practice it with mediocre yarn first. (The concept of "try it before you commit" even has a name, because swatching is as much for practicing techniques as it is for checking gauge.)
Which might be okay -- there's plenty of cheap but decent yarn in light solid colors that is good for practice -- except that it directly collides with another issue I have: Make Everything Count. Practice, sayeth this part of my brain, is not necessary if you're just Good Enough (and then perfectionism butts in to say that if you're not Good Enough why do it at all). Who cares if a technique is new, just jump in to the project without swatching or practicing! And be Perfect! That way you get more done with the time/spoons spent!
...so half my brain is saying that I should practice before doing anything for real, and half is saying that practice is stupid and wasteful especially since I have limited spoons to craft with, and then I wonder why I never get stuff done.
Yep.
( Stuff to work on )
One of the more frequent Reasons is something I've had as an issue since I was a kid. I don't know how much of this is innate to my personality, how much was intentionally taught by my parents (especially my mom) and how much was unintentionally taught by my parents, but it is basically this: You can practice as much as you need to but it is super important to never mess up with the real thing.
When I was a kid, my mom would photocopy coloring books/pages so that I could color the copies instead of the original. From a grownup standpoint, this makes sense: coloring a decent copy is the same as coloring the original, but you can do it over and over again without having to buy a gajillion books. From a kid perspective, this told me that coloring books, aka real things, were precious and should not be used unless you were absolutely sure you could Do It Right, but copies, aka practice, could be done indefinitely. I don't think this is the message she meant for me to learn, but brains are weird.
Same thing with, say, writing a letter or an essay or something: write out in pencil what you are going to say, and then when you're satisfied, ink it on the final product.
So this applies to crafting: I can not mess up on the finished product, or with the expensive yarn, or whatever, so if there's a new technique, practice it with mediocre yarn first. (The concept of "try it before you commit" even has a name, because swatching is as much for practicing techniques as it is for checking gauge.)
Which might be okay -- there's plenty of cheap but decent yarn in light solid colors that is good for practice -- except that it directly collides with another issue I have: Make Everything Count. Practice, sayeth this part of my brain, is not necessary if you're just Good Enough (and then perfectionism butts in to say that if you're not Good Enough why do it at all). Who cares if a technique is new, just jump in to the project without swatching or practicing! And be Perfect! That way you get more done with the time/spoons spent!
...so half my brain is saying that I should practice before doing anything for real, and half is saying that practice is stupid and wasteful especially since I have limited spoons to craft with, and then I wonder why I never get stuff done.
Yep.
( Stuff to work on )