My husband loves otters and loves making linocut block prints. A linocut is when you carve an image into a piece of linoleum and print it. He was experimenting with a new method of image transfer and created this little fellow. He finished this piece on a Sunday afternoon, so I named this little otter Sunday. I thought it was exceptional for this first attempt at the new process and at carving an otter.
It can be both exciting and daunting to try something for the first time. You want it to go well, and yet in making mistakes we often learn more than when things go well. You try, you flub up, you get frustrated and must gather the courage to try again. It can be disappointing to make mistakes because the time and effort spent leave us exhausted and annoyed. We so badly want it to go the way we picture it in our heads, and when it doesn’t quitting can seem like a viable option. This is when we have to be patient with ourselves and give our mind time to process what we want to change, learn, and try next time.
In watching my hubby learn how to create Sunday, it didn’t simply happen in one day. He prepared by buying the right supplies, which meant thinking and learning about what he would need. Then he studied the new process and created two or three versions before he put anything on the linoleum. Once he started carving he made adjustments and kept going. He told me this is not his final version of Sunday, but it’s a pretty good first attempt.
So how do you prepare for a first attempt at something new? Do you jump right in? Do you learn through trial and error? Do you pile up rough drafts and create your final version from all your starts and stops? Or do you research and learn first, then work hard to create one good piece? Some of us learn best through making mistakes, and some of us learn best when we move slowly and meticulously until completion. The important thing about trying something new is getting started. No matter how you do it get out there and try it, no matter what the outcome.
For those who struggle with getting started, give yourself a break. No one is perfect and no one expects you to have it right the first time. No one that is but maybe you. If we pressure ourselves to be perfect then chances are we will rarely get started with confidence. Every good idea had to travel the road of learning before it reached it’s apex. Everything created started as an idea and someone had to have the courage to try, fail, and try again. Even Sunday was a simple idea before it appeared on paper. Seeing this perky fellow on paper encourages me to try something new. I hope you are encouraged to do the same.
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