Small Victories
I remember the day I finally unboxed my new cutting machine. I wanted one for as long as I could remember. I opened the box remembering “Now What? I looked in the box for instructions, not having clue as to what next. Surely the box came with a small how to make greeting card example as well as a few other small samples, but again “What Next”!
I decided to attempt making an Iron-on shirt, epic fail. Then I decided to make a mug, mediocre at best. I successfully made a bookmark, where my critics (sisters and daughter) said “nailed it! but you could do that with scissors”.
Feeling slightly defeated but still determined, I spent the next few evenings watching tutorials and reading online forums. With each new project, my confidence grew bit by bit. Eventually, I realized that the real magic was in the experimentation and learning from mistakes, not just the final product.
Feeling a mix of excitement and frustration, I realized that mastering this new tool would take time and patience. Each attempt, no matter how imperfect, was teaching me something new about the process and expanding my creativity. With every project, I grew a little more confident, determined to keep experimenting until I truly understood the machine’s capabilities.
I started keeping a small journal to document my progress and jot down ideas for future projects. This helped me track what worked and what didn’t, making each new creation feel like a step forward. Sometimes, I would revisit older attempts and try them again with new techniques I had learned, noticing significant improvements.
Gradually, I began to appreciate the small victories—a clean cut here, a perfectly transferred design there. The satisfaction of seeing my ideas take shape outweighed the initial setbacks, and I found myself looking forward to each new challenge. Even my family started to notice my progress and encouraged me to keep going, which made the journey even more rewarding. Many many (and I mean MANY) shirts later, I’m now selling from my own store proudly.
