the importance of making mistakes

If everything went as we imagined it would, or wanted it to, or as others expected us to pull off, life would be a drag. I had intended to use my vacuum bag to clamp the veneers on the fronts of my tie cabinets, but guess what? The bag was too small. No sweat, there is always plan b, and it is a good thing there are always a number of ways that one can do things. Life would be boring without the opportunity to catch curve balls, or steal base.



In the photos above and below, you can see some progress on my tie cabinets. Above you can see the arrangement of clamps holding the veneer in place as the glue dries. Below, you can see the beginnings of making inlaid veneer ties to decorate the outside of the cabinet. I'm using double stick tape to hold a set of 4 different veneers in a stack. Tomorrow I will cut them apart and rearrange them in an interesting pattern before they are inlaid in the cabinet fronts. Come back and see for yourself.


Now just imagine you have employment in which you are challenged, and held accountable for your mistakes. Imagine you are criticized or even punished for taking risks. In business, there may be an understanding that it takes effort and trial of the unknown in order to gain success. In education, the attitude and latitude for mistakes, error and experimentation is absent. Can you see how much of a mistake that is?