While I consistently have to remind myself that it's impossible to be perfect or to do something that turns out perfect, it certainly is hard to keep from being disappointed when things don't turn out the way we want. I had an issue recently with a candle I wanted to pour. I had ordered a bottle of the new scent and had this vision in my head of what I wanted the final product to look like. I began pouring, but I was too excited to see the final product, and thus hurried the process along. This particular candle was going to have 5 different layers. Each layer had to set up before the next could pour, but still needed to be a little warm so the layers would bind well to each other. I allowed some cool air to pass through my studio in hopes it would cool the layers faster and let me continue pouring without such a long wait. Well, it let me pour faster, but the final product had jump lines where the wax cooled too fast, and the binding of the layers was poor. I was extremely disappointed. The candle had the layers, and the angles I had dreamt up, but looked nothing like a product I would be proud to offer to customers. Back to the work table the next day, with a clearer mind and calmer attitude, I began again. The first day I only poured 2 of the layers and the next day I poured the remaining 3. I keep the doors closed to keep the air warm, and I patiently waited after each layer to let the wax set up. I had changed my design for the layers as well after seeing how much I disliked the first attempt. And the results were... well... not perfect, but certainly as close as is possible. I almost think that when we fail at first and then reattempt and succeed, it reminds us that we are human - but we sure do come equipped with amazing skills that create perfectly imperfect things.
No comments:
Post a Comment