Do you ever...

[menty666]

...start in on a piece, realize part way through you're probably doing something a way that's not really the best approach, but you keep plugging on out of blind stubbornness and a desire to not let that glass sumnabitch win?


I'm working on something and about to call a draw.

Orrr, maybe I can just learn my lesson and do it the right way.

Which do you think's going to happen? :devilish:

[Chris Vargas]

lol... happens all the time to me... wish i was better at sketching 3D objects from my mind. im sure you are going to compromise with the glass and each of you will have more respect for each other

[glassdocnc]

Oh yeah. I do that.

My bet is that you will try to salvage any work in progress - possibly beyond any reasonable chance of success... but that the next time you will try a different approach.

At least that's my approach. I suspect I should use the water bath earlier in the process and just go to step 2 with a different approach sooner than I actually do.

[Swampy]

If it's a new work, before starting I sketch it out the sequences on a chalkboard.

If I get stuck at any of the stages (like I did yesterday) I stop, make it safe/repairable then anneal it. Hopefully it's not too complicated to pick it up later after re-thinking.

[menty666]

Glad it's not just me :)

The upside...I can recognize the errors in the process for next time.

[Master Yoda]

Are we talking big picture career wise? Sometimes I feel that way ..

[menty666]

LOL...no. We all make mistakes, but I find it best not to dwell on that which you cannot fix :)

Glass...at least you can make an attempt. History, not so much.

[Master Yoda]

I hear what your sayin. One thing I have learned is that there is truly an ass for every seat. Some of the jankyist stuff I have ever done has garnered compliments and sold for full retail. We all become very tough critics in our drives to push ourselves and as a general rule other glass blowers are the only ones who will come down as hard on your work as you do.

Swampy also makes a great point, I find fresh eyes can help tremendously. I don't know about you but I have days where I can tell 1 hr into it that nothing is flowing right and just do prep work.

If you realize a better way then do it though, I think that we should all keep an open mind and continuously evolve our techniques, that is what enables us to survive

Maybe later i'll edit this with some more rambelly general stuff :)

[LarryC]

I end up doing that quite often, Menty. I always start with a plan in mind but deviate as needed when I see how things turn out. I learn by doing so for me it is an integral part of my creative process. Some of my best concepts have happened through pure experimentation that only really occurs for me when I have thrown the plan out and am just having fun with what is on the punty. In that moment when I have already written off the piece and I no longer have rules or expectations, that is often when the magic happens for me.

[ALIEN!]

mistakes make good free lessons