LEAP! Oh wait, did I look?

by Staci Louise Smith

I unfortunately tend to say yes to new things; to more shows, to new ventures, to deadlines, with no planning on how they will all get done!  Thankfully I work good under pressure, though as I get older, my body and mind don't appreciate it as much.

(tired me guzzling coffee)

Sometimes though, leaping, without looking, allows new and exciting things to come into my life and business.  I find often if I put too much thought into something, I will find a million reasons not to do it.  And really, what is happening, is I am letting my fear and doubt rule my decision making.

Now, don't get me wrong, somethings really do need to be thought out.  And my brain, is not your brain, so, my method may not work for you, and maybe you never talk yourself out of things.

However, what I am trying to say, is don't be afraid to try something new.  You can always choose not to do it again if it doesn't work out.

So this year I cut out some Art Shows I was doing that were not bringing in the money I needed.  I added some new ones to try out, and decided to spend more time teaching.  Since I have three kids and am not able to travel, online teaching seemed the thing to do.  So I signed a contract with Craft Art Edu.  You may know them, because Sherri Stokey teaches there too!  

Here is her most recent class, Drunkards Path

http://craftartedu.com/fiber/whats-new/sherri-stokey-drunkards-path-micro-macrame-bracelet

Anyhow, with some encouragement from Sherri, I signed up with them.  It was a long learning process for me, but I got my first class up and I could NOT BE MORE HAPPY I LEAPED!

I learned soooo much about creating an online class.  My editor was always available to answer my questions (sometimes over and over again).  It took me longest to do the voice over, because apparently, I hate hearing my own voice, and I was really critical of it.  It was also hard to find quiet time in my house.  I share the office with my hubs and I have 3 kids and 3 rescue dogs and a parrot.  There are small quiet windows in my day!  lol!

Anyhow, I picked a big one for the first class, because I could NOT wait to share this with you.  It is called 

Gold Rush: The Rustic Crackle Technique

You can watch a free preview and order it here

http://craftartedu.com/polymer-clay/polymer-clay-whats-new/staci-louise-smith-gold-rush-the-rustic-crackle-technique

I called it Gold Rush, because I honestly came up with this technique in a rush.  Its a spin off a traditional technique, which I totally messed up, and I found a way to turn my mistake into something I ended up LOVING.  I spent time re-creating it and experimenting and timing and combining......and finally had enough information to make beads and my class.

I was chatting with another teacher recently, and we talked about people hesitating to play during their creative time.  Let me say this: just dive in!  Trust yourself.  All of us teachers want you to try new things.  Take the techniques we teach you and begin to ask yourselves "what if I used it with this?"  Or changed the back ground color?  Or added this?  Almost as if you are doing science experiments.  Because that, my friends, is where the magic happens!

This leap I took went well for me.  Both the experimenting with a new technique and joining Craft Art Edu have been great!  Not all of experiments do.  I promise, I have piles of "not fit for human eyes" beads and wire graveyards........but its how the really good stuff happens.  So to me, its worth the mistakes.  Its worth the cast offs.  It's worth the time.

So I challenge you to play.  To take a technique you know, or have been wanting to try, and then take it a step further.  Push your boundaries and LEAP!  Even if you don't know where you will land.  Like I said, you can always choose to not do it again if it doesn't work out.  But you may just end up with something unique and that you love too!