I have been thinking lately that I am really good at a lot of things. I don't normally say things like that. I normally fret over everything I do, convinced that it is utter rubbish, even as people tell me it is wonderful. This applies to pretty much everything I do; cooking, writing, sewing, designing, and anything else I do on a regular basis. I promise though, there are some things I just really do not excel at.
I come from a very hands on creative family. Growing up there was nothing we didn't try to do. Make homemade paper out of dryer lint? Easy. Make homemade candles? Not a problem. Build walls one afternoon? Nothing to it. Make flower arrangements that would shame Martha Stewart? Isn't that a typical Sunday for you?
Pick a craft project and my mother probably attempted to do it with me in tow. We made birdhouses, stained glass, glass etchings, decopage, paper mache, and all sorts of things that I can't even remember at this point. She was amazing at all of it. My mother is one of those crafty sort of people. It might take her a couple of tries, but eventually she always figures it out.
Me on the other hand, not so much. I have the vision, but I often times lack in the execution. For example mosaic. Yea that was an experiment that ended up with me having a lot of tiny glass tiles that went to waste. Anything that involves extensive sculpting has proven to be a particularly large downfall of mine, much to my own disappointment. Knitting and crocheting were fairly unsuccessful as well.
It is not like I tried once, failed, and gave up. Oh no, not me. My mother didn't raise a quitter, especially in the realm of crafts. No I tried and tried. I got books, I had people show me, I made attempt after attempt, and in the end I always failed. My mosaic work looked like something a 6 year old would do with macaroni, my sculpting attempts look like misshapen replicas of the Elephant Man, and my knitting looks...well lumpy is a polite way to put it.
I am alright with my failures though. No one is perfect, including me. I will admit to my strengths; I can make beautiful clothes, I can cook you an amazing meal, and I can write you some entertaining stories. Just don't expect me to knit you a scarf to keep warm.
