Saturday, August 01, 2009

Studio Immersion, Day 3



The class proposals are finally away, after more agonizing than I can believe. The idea of submitting proposals to Bead & Button was a last minute thing. I didn't realize how early they were required, so that put me in a time crunch. Many were the moments when I was tempted to wait another year before submitting. Who do I think I am? I don't know whether to thank or kick the friends who kept urging me on and answering my endless questions.

Today I have time to think about the advantages and disadvantages of working under pressure.

Many of the disadvantages are obvious. Deadlines are stressful. I make mistakes under pressure, such as moving too fast and breaking things. My workmanship can suffer, requiring more time to repair, which negates the original speed. I forget things, like the tape I should put over the glass before I do any buffing or brushing of the metal (after two rounds of that maybe I'll learn!). Everything that can go wrong will, such as the photo printer not cooperating. Note to self: Scheduling yard clean-up by MURPHY'S LAWn on a deadline day may cause interruptions.

Although the obvious advantage of deadlines is that things get accomplished, the benefits can be a bit more subtle. Development of an idea into a class requires refinements, streamlining, shortcuts. Ingenuity gets called upon to make the project in the least amount of time, so that the students will have a chance of getting it finished during class. My earlier versions of this project actually bothered me, because they were too fancy, too embellished, just too much. This simpler version fits my aesthetic better. So the pressure served me in understanding my own direction.

Of course, I don't know yet what all I messed up. I found out this week that somehow, beyond my understanding, the submission I made to the PMC Guild Annual went to an outdated address (but I used the prospectus off the web!). My disappointment at not jurying into the publication has now turned to dismay that I didn't even participate.

Grace under pressure. Maybe that's what I most need to learn. Ironic that it's now time for yoga class, the epitome of learning exactly that.