Thursday, April 16, 2015

What to Do When a Product Becomes a Brick Wall for You

In late February, I mentioned that one product in the picture below was giving me fits of frustration, but I withheld the name of that product. Someone asked what it was, and several guessed (incorrectly) that it was the glue pad. I meant to clarify the issue immediately but in my frustration kept putting it off. Well, here goes.



I'm hatin' on that feather punch. While the two feather stamp sets I've purchased from Waltzingmouse make me quite happy, the feather punch isn't doing it for me. I've punched at least several dozen feathers from all sorts of different papers, and let's just say that my creative muse has withdrawn her support, leaving me flailing around and wishing I could have that money back.

*sigh*

The only card that's come close to making me happy (and it actually does!) is today's card.


This bright blue vellum is so very pretty! It's attached with vellum tape
that doesn't show through. I deliberately let the top feather hang
over the edge to add interest and break the clean lines of the raised panel.

Okay, so I pulled one successful card out of this punch. Now what? The experience was so painful, so frustrating, that duplicating it seems masochistic.

What can we learn from this?

First of all, frustration CAN be good for you creatively. It forces you outside your comfort zone. Note how little white space is on the card? Yeah, that feels weird to me, but so what? The design works. Frustration can help break down barriers in our creativity, open up possibilities we never considered, free us to experiment, push us to play. These are good things.

Second, our mood--which varies from day to day or moment to moment if you're peri-menopausal like me--strongly affects our creativity. If you're frustrated beyond reason (swearing at inanimate objects or throwing things), step away for a bit. If you're frustrated and feeling challenged ("By golly, I'm going to figure this out if it kills me!"), work for a while, step away, come back later, try again. Repeat these steps as many times as necessary to break down the barrier. Washi tape worked this way for me. Eventually, I figured it out, and now it makes me happy!

Third, accept this eternal truth of crafting: some trendy products just don't work for some people. For instance, one would think that I would love and adore sequins. They are like bling, only less expensive, bigger, and flatter. Yay! Right? Wrong. I see so many gorgeous CAS cards online that use sequins, but every time I use them, they look weird. Ugh.

Now, what should I do about the feather punch? Is a few months enough time to give it a fair chance? Washi took several years...though I confess I never cussed at the washi like I did at the punch. (For the record, the only thing I threw was a punched feather because I knew it wouldn't hurt anything. I'm a model of self-control!) Some people would have thrown the punch in the trash by now, or put it up for sale, or given it to charity. These people are normal, healthy individuals, and I applaud them.

I'm not one of them.

Perhaps you're not normal either, and you might appreciate a process by which you can make these difficult, first-world decisions. Here you go.

Step 1: Identify the offending product. You can't deal with a problem if you won't admit you have one.

Step 2: Put the offending product in a box with other offending products because you know you have more than one. Clearly label the box.

Step 3: Store the box of offending products far away from your craft area. Out of sight, out of mind.

Step 4: Review contents of the box periodically. Over time, some will make their way back to your craft space for play. You'll either figure them out or you won't.

Step 5: When you're absolutely convinced that you've given the product a fair chance and it's just not right for you, let it go. Sell it or give it away. Or find a safe place to ritually burn it if vengeful destruction feels more satisfying and doesn't violate burning restrictions in your area.

Happy stamping.




Supplies
stamps: Papertrey Happy Trails
ink: Memento Luxe
paper: Papertrey white, blue vellum
accessories: Fiskars feather punch, dimensionals, vellum tape, silver half-beads, Prismacolor silver metallic marker

18 comments:

  1. You could try a poker pen [not sure of the name :)] and scratch down the middle and then scratch outwards to the edge from the center to get some dimension, or you could put it in a box and forgetaboutit :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Tried that with an embossing stylus. Looked like a kindergartener did it. *sigh*

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  2. Try harder until you "know" it is time to walk away. As I get older I am more discerning therefore generally spend less time trying harder and more easily walk away. Knowing is the key - when you are in touch with your inner being - the path is easier to see.

    Therese
    www.tmalakart.blogspot.ca

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. So true, Therese. I am getting much faster about this sort of thing myself.

      Delete
  3. Try harder until you "know" it is time to walk away. As I get older I am more discerning therefore generally spend less time trying harder and more easily walk away. Knowing is the key - when you are in touch with your inner being - the path is easier to see.

    Therese
    www.tmalakart.blogspot.ca

    ReplyDelete
  4. what a great post today! so much to learn here....

    since you know I am NOT a CAS style stamper, I happen to love the sequins and washi tape and all of those other doo dads that drive other people over the brink. but I like the idea of removing from our lives things that make us nuts, while we take the time to decipher whether they are meant to make us stronger or it's time to remove them completely.

    sorry I haven't been by in a while. hope you are doing well! :)

    ReplyDelete
  5. Hello, my name is Abby Normal. I have an Ott lamp which I intensely dislike. Yet there it is, still sitting on my desk. Taking up valuable real estate. I'm absolutely convinced I've given it a fair shake because I've owned the damned thing for 25 years. So... right after I sign off, I'm taking that lamp downstairs and with a sigh of relief, putting in the "to be sold" box.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. What do you hate about the lamp? I have two on my desk and love them!

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    2. Susan, I have the one where you lift the arm to turn on the lamp. 1st - the lamp is too short, so I have to raise the arm higher than I would like; that leaves the light glaring in my face. 2nd - If I have the arm partially raised, even at a 90 deg angle, it won't stay up. I've tightened it, but it doesn't last long. Now I have 2 architect lamps, with daylight bulbs, one on each corner of my desk. With these, I can direct light anywhere I need.

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  6. I'm with you on sequins Susan, I think they look at bit cheap whenever I try them.
    On the punch, I think your subconscious is suggesting you try washi tape feathers...

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  7. I have so many things I've tried and not loved. I'm convinced some things are just not meant to be, and we don't have to embrace ALL THE THINGS. I'll be happy to take that punch to Tina's annual crafty yard sale and sell it for you, along with everything else in your box. Let's do lunch!

    ReplyDelete
  8. Not sure, but punch a few thicknesses of aluminum foil. It tends to clean and sharpen the cutting blades of the punch. Try a different paper to punch? As a last try, buy a package of real feathers at the craft store, and use those? Don't stress that much about the punch!

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  9. I know what you mean. I can't get into sequins either, and I have absolutely no idea what I would do with that feather punch!

    You've got me thinking though. We are having a garage sale next weekend, so I should sort through my unloved items this weekend and see if any of them warrant another chance, or should go in the "to sell" box!

    ReplyDelete
  10. Maybe your feather punch is defective. I bought a great looking tree punch and a corner rounder at a garage sale and neither one ever worked correctly. I tossed them out - don't want anyone else to get stuck with them. Hey, and what do you do with glue pads? Never could figure that one out! :-)

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  11. I'm glad I'm not the only one who is frustrated with punches. I use some of mine to punch shapes for my daycare kiddos. They are not cheap but have had several just not work anymore or just break apart and I'm not even using heavy paper....uugghh...
    sending hugs!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I hear you. I've had a couple of punches literally fall apart in my hand. This feather punch is works well, but it's a struggle to design with it!

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Thank you so much for taking time to comment!