making mistakes

Do you make mistakes? 

I think mistake-making is terrribly wonderfully totally super important. 

I tell my kids, and other kids, and people that whenever I can. 

When I'm running workshops with people who declare they couldn't do something (like weaving or stitching and printing) because they might not do it perfectly - well I tell those people that they have to make mistakes to learn something. Sometimes when you make a mistake it really is a mistake, but you learn from it don't you (or you keep on making the same mistake until you do learn..... eventually).

Mostly I think when we make mistakes, in life and in art, we make something else as well. I found this quote on pinterest, and oh boy it so resonates with what I feel and think about mistake making. When you make mistakes you make something new. Oh golly - isn't that a perfect way of thinking about it. 

Did you know that cheese was a mistake. A long (long long loooooooonnnnnnnnnngggg) time ago there was a woman (let's say a woman, but it could have been a man) walking through the desert with some fresh camel or goat milk in a pouch. The pouch was made of animal, and had a lining of animal guts. Oh you know that stuff - yeah rennet. With the warmth of the day, and the movement of the walking woman, the milk jiggled all about in that animal pouch and turned from runny milk to firmer cheese. It probably was a bit disappointing to go and have a sip of milk, and find it a teeny bit soured and lumpy. Anyway, so the story goes, mistake making made a good thing!

{along these lines, I always wonder how the first person discovered that you could separate egg whites from yolks and make different things with each. Oh - imagine no meringue!}. 

Anyway. This should really remind you, and push you to make mistakes. Mistake making is good. Except in exams that are important - maybe don't make mistakes then. But in art, please do make mistakes and then learn to make new creations.