Perception is Everything

 Perception really is everything!  Think about this--think about how long you think it takes to clean your house.  Now, how long does it actually take?  EVERYONE knows that housework is never-ending and takes FOREVER.  Well,  I've discovered it really doesn't.  I go home for lunch (shameful waste of gas, I know, but I need that break) and in the time it takes for my lunch to heat in the microwave I can have the dishwasher emptied.  Today while my lunch was baking--having blown up the microwave earlier this week--I swept the kitchen floor.  After lunch while waiting for my daughter to be ready to leave I swept the living room and put a load of laundry in the dryer. Actual time spent--probably less than ten minutes.

One of the reasons that I try not to worry is that it is extremely bad for my creative processes.  After I stopped worrying about having to decide if the cat should be put down, how we were going to pay the ensuing vet bill, and if we were going to be able to eat and pay the bills, I put together this pair of earrings.  They are called "Flights of Fancy".  I have had the butterflies for a while and the idea for some time.  These are mostly a prototype.  I'm checking them for wearability--marginal--they like to hang up on my clothes (wearing them with a hoodie might not be the best idea--a sleek little top would be better).  I'm trying to decide if I want to add more chains and maybe add some crystals.  I don't want them too heavy as they are very light right now.  Brightly colored feathers are another idea that I'm thinking about.  Of course, I want feathers from molting birds and not birds that are murdered for their feathers!

I also have to keep perception and perspective in mind when I design and make jewelry.  I have a tendency to constantly overestimate the time needed to complete a project.  One of the things I am going to do for myself is to start keeping a log of how much time I actually spent making a project.  This way the next time that I'm tempted to think a project takes too long or is too much work, I can look and see that oh, no, actually that entire project only took an hour...or two...or however many it actually took.