Stick With It!

The Creative Edge is about finding the courage to take a risk and create something new.  It’s about jumping in and trying something even when you don’t have it all planned out and you aren’t sure what the results will be.  It opens up space for new possibilities to emerge…as long as you stick with it!

That’s what I discovered in a recent creative leap: Crafting a Mirror.

A friend of mine was searching for a mirror to fit the entryway of his new home that would match a bench he already owned.  As a housewarming gift, I agreed to make one for him.  I had no idea how I would do it, but I was excited to try. After diving into the creative process, a number of challenges emerged. Here’s the story of “the making:”

I started with a length of wood from the trim and molding section of the hardware store that already had the inside edging cut into it. Because I don’t own a router or other handy woodworking machinery, this was a great solution to getting the finished edge I wanted. To give the wood a distressed look, I used carving tools to dig out the grain and cut grooves into the surface. Everything was going great until the cutting and assembling process started. Then things went awry!

Summary: I cut one length of wood the wrong direction and had to start over (re-carving) with a new piece.  After carefully cutting the angles, the frame didn’t fit together right (a miter saw would have been helpful!). I made adjustments, knowing I would need to use wood fill in some areas. When gluing the final corner, all of the other corners popped apart because of a slight bow in the wood. AAAGH! If I hadn’t committed to making the mirror, I would have scrapped it at this point, deciding that the whole thing was a bad idea.

But I kept going, stuck with it and in the end I managed to: reconstruct the frame well, find the right combination of stains to match the bench, add extra trim to the back of the frame to allow for a mirror insert, mount the mirror, affix the hangars and finish off the backing neatly (did I mention the mirror cracked the first time I mounted it and had to re-cut a new piece?).  It actually turned out to be better than I expected and a perfect fit for the entryway.

So, take a leap, try something new and when it gets messy, don’t give up! If you stick with it you might be surprised with the results. 🙂  This is true not only in art, but in life!

LINKING IT TO LIFE:

Is there something new you want to create in your life…health, happiness, business, relationships?  What are the changes you are longing for?

Is it time to cross over that edge of fear or procrastination? Don’t wait until you have it all figured out…take a step and stick with it.  Something new will emerge!

MY STORY:

For many years, I dreamed of creating change in our quality of life by moving out of Arizona.  I began to feel dried up in the desert and I longed for trees and mountains. This year we took the leap! We sold our home in Phoenix and moved to the mountains of Colorado!

When we first arrived here, we didn’t have a home secured.  The housing market was crazy and properties were selling fast. It seemed like every time we found “the one” it went under contract moments before we could make an offer. It was frustrating and disappointing and sometimes we weren’t sure if it would ever come together well!

Obviously we committed to creating change when we sold our home, but in the spirit of “Stick With It,” we kept going on faith that this was the right move for us even though things weren’t falling into place at first.  We have been in our new home for six months and it is the perfect fit for us, turning out to be more than we ever dreamed of!