Do As I Say... And Not As I Do!
Anyone who has taken a class with me as their instructor, has heard me say, “Do as I say, not as I do” numerous times. This is because I have been doing stained glass and fusing glass for a long time and I know what works for me. I also know my equipment and I know how to push it.
The intention in my courses (and all good glass instructors) is to teach you the skills required to be successful in the glass world. I will explain and demonstrate the industry recognized tools and recommended methods. You can practice them, but eventually you will develop your own style and technique... At that point, if it is working for you consistently, you are happy with your results, and most important, you understand why you are getting the results you are… only then, should you feel comfortable to do it your way!
This is a process that can only happen over time and only with experience. Sometimes an improvement or correction might come in something as simple as holding a brush differently, or perhaps not holding the soldering iron with the “Harley Handle” grip. It is important to take notice of the subtleties that are making the difference for you.
We all can learn from our projects that don’t come out as expected, from total disastrous explosions to amazingly happy accidents. The trick here is to consciously recognize the difference and understand the process as to why it happened. The goal is to either avoid it or replicate the event. “Try, learn, adapt”
(A shamless plug for my husbands book...It's Not Complicated)
Understand the principles and your craft and then you can try things your way and have fun and learn while experimenting!
I came across this quote somewhere and I could not find its origins. It resonated with me and inspired this blog. Thanks, whoever said it!
All myths have an element of truth in them otherwise they would not persist.
They also persist because people listen to the “rules” rather than thinking about the principles and applying them. It is when you understand the principles that you can successfully break the “rules”.