Sunday, May 31, 2009

Developing Your Crafting Skills

By Rick Amorey

A lot of people seem to think that talent is an inborn capability. If you are not good with something, then you will never have a chance to succeed in that particular endeavor. This is simply preposterous. No one starts out as a natural Da Vinci! While inborn skill may contribute to it, practice is the most important of the deciding factors.

So if you want to hone your skills, practice constantly. And don't get irked if your work doesn't come out as good as you'd initially wanted it. An artist that I've had the pleasure to work with once told me before, "Remember, Rick, the image that you have in your head will always be better than the object you craft." These are very wise words. So don't be put down by your first efforts.

Even if you have all the time in the world to hone your skills, however, it won't be worth a thing if you don't learn anything from your mistakes. Show your work to others, and submit yourself to harsh criticism if need be. I can say for sure that after this harsh trial, you will know exactly what to do to make your works that much better.

It would help if you can pick up a book or two that talks about how to do your craft. Do not scoff these valuables treasures off as a repository of things that you already know; even the most basic ones will have nifty tricks that you may not have heard of before. Be a bookworm for a bit, and advance your skills to a new level!

When the time comes that you are finally confident with how good your crafting skills have become, then it is time for you to explore craft shows. Begin with the smaller, non-juried ones; these will help you get on your "booth-legs". After you get comfortable with these, you can step up to the more intense and competitive juried craft shows.

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