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The Beauty of the Unique

One of the best things about handmade crafts is the uniqueness of the piece. Every piece is different, even if you use the same pattern, style and/or colors.

I have been designing and creating unique pieces of jewelry for almost two years and spent over a decade working and playing with other arts and crafts. During that time, I have made tons of unique pieces, each one with their own personality. Part of that personality had come from "mistakes."

Mistake - an error in action, calculation (from dictionary.com)

What really constitutes a mistake? When you take something you are creating and it goes in a different direction from where you plan, is that a mistake or a change in direction?

For a Christmas present this year, I was making a chainmail key ring for a co-worker. I started out working in one weave and then made a mistake in the weave. This "mistake" led to learning another weave that I had never tried before. Plus, instead of fixing this mistake, I continued on in the first weave and ended up with the ideal places to hang charms to accent the chainmail. This made the key ring even more unique.

Was this a mistake? I don't think so. I find that most of the mistakes I make in designing or creating a piece lead to learning something new or designing a new piece. Even mistakes that I have made in my work life have led to learning a new skill. Every mistake no matter how frustrating is really an opportunity and opportunities open up a whole new world of delights.

I have a whole drawer of jewelry mistakes that I use as inspiration. When I have the crafters' version of writer's block, I take out my mistake basket and go through it. Normally, by the time I have them all spread out, a new design comes to light or I figure out where I went wrong. Sometimes that mistake becomes the centerpiece to a larger creation.

In the last few months, I have been exploring and learning about making 3D items for computer games, specifically Second Life. A couple of weeks ago, I was working on a piece for my avatar and got quite frustrated because I couldn't figure out how to make a specific piece of jewelry. I took out my mistake basket and found a piece that I just couldn't make work in real life.

It came to me like someone hitting me in the head. The computer world doesn't have some of the same limitations of real life. The piece I couldn't make work in real life, works perfectly in Second Life. This mistake led to a whole new medium of work.

Remember: Don't let your mistakes get you down. Let them direct you to a new opportunity or way of doing things. Think outside the box!

Learn more about this author, Karen T. Sanders.
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