“I can’t Get no…”

Satisfaction...

Since the first item I stumbled through making in the forge I have been in pursuit of creating what I am seeing. Nothing has ever come easy to me…I have had to work hard to break even most of the time. So, the uphill battle here is nothing new. Some people sketch their ideas out in finished form or draw out the process to get a better understanding of the end result. Others wing it based off of what is in their mind’s eye. Even more will forge samples of the elements in smaller form. I have done all of these. I have no formal training as an artist on any level. I did take Art Appreciation 101 in Community College. That was mostly looking at naked sculptures and darkly lit ambiguous portraits…nothing really appreciative in my honest non-artsy opinion.

So, in every project I put out what I am convinced is my very best. I try not to settle (though I still do from time to time...thankfully I am surrounded by people who call me out on it when it does happen) while making the item. I have never been 100% happy with anything I have made. There is always that misplaced hammer blow, too long, too short, fit and finish was not perfect…the list goes on and on. The fact is that the first is worse than the last and every one in between gains from the mistakes in the last. Maybe that is the point in all of this. It is the pursuit of perfection that keeps us moving.

We get so caught up in the fantasy of perfection when it is the pursuit of perfection that makes us better people. If I were to create, under my hammer, perfection every time I would never find the satisfaction in the pursuit of it. Basically, it all comes down to something I am told from time to time, “If it were easy anybody could do it.” The pursuit of perfection is not easy; it is hard. For me, perfection is an ideal and the ultimate goal. This is something that would certainly make this world a much better place if we kept it in mind in our daily pursuits.