Badly done is better than not begun

One of the things I do to start my mini painting classes for absolute beginners is to have them make a mess of their mini. I start them with a large brush and have them do a messy basecoat. Then I teach them how to remove or paint over any mistakes.

No, you probably won't win a competition that way, but you will learn to not be afraid of messing up the paint. Sometimes people are so afraid of making mistakes that they get overwhelmed with what-ifs and never actually start learning their new skill.

I'm guilty of the same thing. I wait for the situation, tools, mindset, etc to be just right and when it never happens I end up with craft or project supplies sitting unused, and I get frustrated and convinced that I can't do it.

This year, I am starting all of the projects. I don't want my materials to go bad unused. I don't want to never learn whether I enjoy something because I am too afraid to try it.

The good news is, you don't have to post your failures publicly. You can keep trying until you have something you like. Show off the pieces you are proud of!

I've decided to show off my failures and successes. I'm proud of making the attempt. Proud of progress. You should also be proud of progress. Learning is good for us, and keeps our minds active.

Your first attempt probably won't be amazing, and that's fine, because you learn things with every try. Eventually you get to the point where most of the process is easy, and pushing to improve becomes the scary part. But if you never start, never push, you never improve.

I hope you can get past your fear of doing things badly to begin new things, and to move further along the path to excellence in your skills. You are welcome to join me showing off your work, at whatever level of skill or completion. I'm proud of you for trying new things and for learning!