I love it when a plan comes together.

But occasionally you miss the mark and a little rejigging is required.

The last 3 weeks have been all about the rejigging.

 

I’m a big believer in aiming high.

Average is not aspirational.

The only problem with this, is that sometimes reality bites.

Budgets, time constraints, logistics, fundamental limitations of the human body…

All these things can scupper your lofty ambitions.

 

But instead of sitting back and declaring the venture a disaster,

I think we’re better to practice the art of the reshuffle.

Alter your plan, shift the parameters and make the best from the new situation.

 

Don’t be hasty in dishing out the #EpicFails

Always be optimistic and flexible.

 

And just to illustrate my point, here’s a snippet of the last 3 weeks’ mini catastrophes…

1.     Admitting my sabbatical plans were completely unrealistic

2.     Blooming cuckoos won’t pop out the cuckoo clocks!

3.     Missing animals in Wonderbeasts

4.     Printing wallpaper by hand morphing into a beast of a task AND being rubbish at maths, miscalculating the amount of said wallpaper required

5.     Learning that laser cut fabric frays…

6.     Studio Pup shredding everything he can reach.

No-one likes a moaner, in real life or on Twitter.

So I think it best not to dwell on the hiccups in our plans and instead focus on the good bits.

However I wanted to be honest and share the lows as well as the highs;

Reality isn’t all cute studio pups, appearances in Vogue and inky bliss…

 

I’ve spent 21 days furiously rethinking, adjusting and reworking

(which is why this blog is so late).

 1.     My primary focus is now the exhibition, reading can wait.

2.     I have a new cuckoo clock concept (that’s better than the original)

3.     Wonderbeasts is now overpopulated instead of under

4.     I rounded the most wonderful team of print studio helpers, one of whom has borderline OCD and a head for maths (thanks Karen!)

5.     Binned fabric for paper

6.     Put things up higher, did a little redrawing…

Things may not be panning out exactly how I had planned

But they so rarely do.

I figure there’s no point beating myself up about it,

Just work out the new way forward, and go at it full power.

 

#Winning

 

 

 

Bonus Studio Pup Pic (post shredding snooze)

Big thanks to Creative Scotland who supported the Sabbatical through a Professional Development Grant.