"You must do the thing you think you cannot do."
—Eleanor Roosevelt
A few weeks ago, I took a wire and metal class with Sharilyn Miller, author of Wire Art Jewelry Workshop and other popular jewelry making books.
Ugh ... The Jeweler's Saw
One of the reasons I signed up was to learn more about using a jeweler's saw. I've used it in the past, but my experiences have been frustrating. I'd pretty much decided that using a jeweler's saw was just something I couldn't do. But when I saw this class being held by a respected instructor an hour away, I decided I should give it one more try. Not being able to use this common tool was starting to become a creative block for me. I kept coming up with projects and dismissing them, knowing that I couldn't do some of the basic metalwork they required.
Try, Try Again
I was shocked to find out how much better my experience was this time. I drew a heart shape and actually cut it out with a jeweler's saw. I wasn't perfect. I broke two blades, both within the first 1/4" or so before I found a steady sawing rhythm. But that's a huge improvement over my last experience, where I went through a whole package of blades and didn't even finish cutting my pieces.
Maybe I Can Do This ...
What went differently this time?
First, I watched Kate Richbourg's free Beaducation video on the topic before I went to class. This might seem akin to cleaning house yourself before hiring a maid to clean house, but for me, this advance prep work helped immensely. If I have a vague idea of the steps involved ahead of time, then in class I can concentrate on the teacher's demonstration and unique tips without being bogged down by basics such as whether I'm holding the saw upside down.
Second, I found Sharilyn Miller's advice about picturing yourself as a sewing machine with a straight up-and-down needle very helpful. It sounds silly, but I'd been holding the saw at an angle before, which caused all those blades to break. With that little mantra echoing in my head ("I'm a sewing machine! I'm a sewing machine!") I was able to overcome my bad habit.
Third, I chose a class that combined familiar and unfamiliar skills. I usually take classes where the whole class is something completely unlike anything I've ever done. That can work, but it means that you never get to build upon the skills you've perfected. Even though I knew my sawing needed major work, the fact that I already knew basic wirewrapping gave me confidence that I could complete the project.
Success!
The bracelet pictured on this page is the one I made in class. (If you're curious, here's a link to the class description for the Metallo Del Fiore bracelet that my project was based on.) Seeing that copper heart makes me happy. I can't believe I was able to draw something on paper and then turn it into a finished piece.
Not only am I looking forward to my next project with a jeweler's saw, I'm also looking at a few other techniques that have intimidated me in the past. Doing the "thing you cannot do" is not just about overcoming that one obstacle. It's about opening the door to everything else that might be waiting.
What do you think you cannot do?
Quotation source: I found a longer excerpt of this quote that's supposed to be in Eleanor Roosevelt's book, You Learn by Living: Eleven Keys for a More Fulfilling Life: “You gain strength, courage and confidence by every experience in which
you really stop to look fear in the face. You are able to say to
yourself, 'I have lived through this horror. I can take the next thing
that comes along.' You must do the thing you think you cannot do.”