Creative Ruts

January has been full of trying new things and while it's been absolutely amazing, with newness comes fear. All month I have been working on four brand-spanking-new designs. And learning Photoshop/Illustrator. And restarting my blog. Lots of new. Lots of scary.

It is easy to be discouraged when something you were so excited for promptly fails. Or if you've completely hit a wall and the sheet in front of you remains blank. As an example, my first envelope clutch was horrible. It was wonky. It was flimsy. The snap was already ripping the fabric. WHY. Deep breath. It's important to know when to walk away. When I've reached a point in my frustration that I know nothing I attempt will be positive, it's time to try something else. Read a book. Get outside. Knit. Play piano. I have way too many hobbies. There are plenty of things to do to get me back in a good mood. And when I returned to the clutch the next day I saw it, as predicted, with new perspective.

So I attempted clutch #2 and it owns. It just owns. I made some minor adjustments and that was all it took. Confidence restored. The Failed Clutch was reincarnated as a wristlet. Chalk it all down to learning. (Plus these new bad boys will be in the shop this weekend :O)

When I came across this phenomenal infographic by Islam Abudaoud, I realized I had done several of these suggestions over the past week. I have not curled up with the dictionary, but I have allowed myself to make mistakes. I know to not force myself when I've reached a dead end, to take a step back to gain perspective, to talk to friends etc. This is something I will refer back to whenever I need a kick in the pants to keep going because, in the end, it's all supposed to be fun!