you can do anything, but you can't do everything
Hey Crafty Peeps! Those of you who love trying, testing, experimenting and exploring new things - you're my kinda people. You know what I mean - you need to try every craft available, experiment with new things, doing a bit of this and a bit of that. Yep. That's me. Some people call it flimsy, others say unfocussed, there's some cool names like multipotentalite or Renaissance woman... Whatever we call it, there's this need to try everything, and somewhere deep down a feeling that we (ok I) must master a fair few most all the things.
But what about when you find the things you're not so good at? I had a message from one of my Creative Year students saying she was trying and trying the crochet, but that it just wasn't her thing. And it got me thinking about something I wrote on Instagram the other day -
"You can do anything, but you can't do everything"
It's something I keep telling myself every single time a new idea pops into my brain. STOP brain, stop!
I think it's excellent to discover the things you don't want to do, the things that aren't 'you'. To be able to cross things off your 'I want to learn that one day' list, and know you never have to master that new skill. HOW excellent indeed. So, I decided to write myself a list, to remind myself about the anything, but not the everything - and I thought you might like this little keep it simple list too. It's a way to rein in all those tumbling thoughts of the things we might, maybe, could, possibly, should one day learn how to do. Cross crochet (or the "nup, don't need to learn that!" thing) off your list once and for all! I have spinning and knitting on my "one day" list..... I'm leaving them at the bottom of the list, for that time when I'm a little old lady and have spare time to learn new skills. I used to knit when I was a kid, but I know that now isn't the time for me to invest into learning how to knit.
1: Try All The Everythings - write your giant list of things you might do, give them a go. Hang out with friends who do those things and use their tools, supplies, expertise. Take a mini class at your local craft shop, library, or guild.
2: Be Ok To Say NO - Once you've given things a good and proper go, happily say no. If it's not for you, but your best friend keeps pestering you about it, tell her you love that she loves it, but you're letting her be the expert on that one!
3: Be Extra Pleased That You Now Have More Time- Now that you've crossed that thing off your list, smile at the fact you now have more time to a) dabble in other perhaps possibilities, or b) become more of an expert at your other loved up crafty skills.
4: Keep Writing That 'One Day' List - Never stop thinking about other things you might try, cause golly if we stop learning then we may as well stop thinking or living; don't ya think?!
5: Know That It Truely is OK to Not Do Everything - being the expert on things is cool, I get that, but truth is you can't be the expert or even highly skilled at everything. By giving up the things that just aren't you, you're leaving space and time to further develop the skills you already have.
Tell me, I'd love to know what are the things on your 'one day' crafty list, and what are the things that you'll probably never ever in a whole entire lifetime get to?
