Do It Anyway: Mini Challenge Week 2

Our kids at a local craft-it-yourself studio, where they grab armfuls of art supplies, figure out a craft project to make, and just go for it.

Have you ever noticed how little kids have a sense that they can do anything? This can be applied to everything from jumping out of a tree to making up a recipe to building their own go-karts. They’re pretty much filled with confidence.

At some point as they mature, most folks start to lose this sense. We are told that we aren’t doing something the right way. Our actions are corrected, our spirits get a bit dimmed. We bounce back from most of this stuff, but being corrected doesn’t feel so great. Some of us start to wonder if we just aren’t good at whatever task. Maybe we shouldn’t try it again because we might fail, and we don’t like that feeling. As adults, many of us have years and years of these sorts of thoughts built up, so that trying something new can feel very scary. We may feel paralyzed by fear.

In the world of art and making, this sensation may be seen when one is afraid of pushing oneself further. For example, having an inner voice that says, “I’m really great at stamping, but I couldn’t draw anything more than a stick figure if my life depended on it.” This could translate to, “I’d better not even try to freehand draw, because if it doesn’t look perfect, then everyone will think I’m not as good of a stamper as they did before!” Think about that mental leap. Why would we send ourselves such messages? I’ll bet we all do it in our own ways.

What if we decided to be conscious of our inner fears of failure, and we turned them on their heads? If we took the feeling of not being great at something yet, and used it as a stepping stone to getting better? As a way to learn, to expand our abilities, and to just try for the sheer challenge of it? Replacing the inner voice that said, “Don’t try, you might fail” with “This might not turn out how I imagine, but I’m going to do it ANYWAY!”

Because why not, my friends? We are only on this planet for a little while. Why the heck not just go for it? Try that technique you’ve been curious about. Approach your creativity from a different angle than normal — instead of having everything centered like you always do, go asymmetrical and rotate! Run over the cardstock with your car to give it some texture. Draw all over it with scribbles. Tear it into tiny pieces and make a mosaic. Stamp off the edge of the paper! Close your eyes and grab the markers for your color scheme randomly. Why not? It might expand your creativity into a realm you had no idea was possible. Or it might look ridiculous. But at least you’ll be making something new, moving forward with your creativity, and broadening your artistic skill set. It could be the step you needed to take to break out of your fixed thinking, to a place of growth and learning and challenge.

I have a hard time thinking of a more encouraging, warm, uplifting group of people than those I’ve met through this crafting and cardmaking community. When we are trying something new, there are always dear folks who will chime in to say, “You’re getting better at your coloring!” or “What a nice effect that was with the matching ribbon, I’m so glad you tried it!” It is a neat thing to watch.

Here we are at Week Two of Power and Sparklette... let me remind you of my funky graphic for this month... which was actually a bit outside the box for my normal lettering style, but I let myself be inspired by some of the heavy metal album covers that my son Finn exposes me to. Here ’tis!

For the second mini challenge, I have a big question for you.

Power & Sparklette: Week 2

What is something you thought you could never do — and then you did it?

It can be in the artistic realm, or in daily life. It can be a personal triumph or a professional one. It can be BIG or it can be a tiny incremental thing that meant a lot in some way. Here’s one of mine....

I was a teenage skateboarder, but hadn’t thought about skating in about 20 years. I mean, I was a professional graphic designer working for big clients, a mother of two, and someone who worried about whether the silverware was polished for Thanksgiving dinner. After my divorce, it occurred to me that I needed a new hobby to keep myself occupied and get me out of the house. I had old friends who were taking their kids out to skateboard, and were starting to skate again themselves. Even though I felt totally awkward, I bought myself a new board and safety gear. At age 39 I got back out there. I was still able to do a bunch of tricks. Yes, it hurt when I fell, and falling was common on those first few outings. But if I hadn’t pushed myself to go out skateboarding, I would not have met Doug! That’s where we reconnected after 20+ years, on the deck of the mini ramp. :) Plus, I showed myself that I could do exciting and fun sports, no matter my age. Within a year, I then learned how to ride a motorcycle.

I will choose one entry from the Week 2 challenge to give a $25 gift certificate towards anything in the Power Poppy Shop. Entries will close Tuesday, September 20 at midnight central.

Now, you try. What is something you thought you couldn’t do, and then you did it?

P.S. WE ARE ALL LOVING YOUR QUOTE CONTRIBUTIONS!!! So much so, I’m going to keep it open a few more days, and pick the quote that I will illustrate on Wednesday. Tune back in to see if it is yours! I will make the chosen quote into a downloadable image for coloring. Click here to add your favorite quote.