26A - Celebrating Failure

1) Something I Failed At This Semester:

Painting. I tried only 3 times, but over the course of the semester I had tried to draw and then pain the Cheshire Cat from Alice in Wonderland without making any mistakes, but it seems that every time I would add paint to my piece, I would somehow make a mistake that was hard to fix. I couldn't figure out if it was just me, and the fact I am not an artist, or if it was the tools I was using that were hindering the process.

2) What I Learned From It:

I learned that painting, like many things, take lots of time and practice to get right. I had painted other things, so I knew I didn't have to be an artist to paint or draw a pretty picture. The big takeaway from this was that I shouldn't give up right away at something like this, and I was able to develop a sort of patience with myself.

3) What I Think About Failure:

I think failure is a great tool, in probably all aspects of life. It tells you that you're doing something wrong, and if you can admit that kind of thing to yourself you're more able to benefit by improving yourself or your work. We are all our biggest critics, so it's also important that we aren't too hard on ourselves when we fail, because in order to benefit from the failure, no matter how epic it may be, we need to use it as a learning opportunity. I tend to be a little hard on myself or get frustrated when I fail, and it's hard for me to try again because I feel embarrassed. But, over the course of this semester I learned that there really are no mistakes, just happy accidents and learning opportunities. This class helped me ensure that I value all tries/attempts, and to use them in future work.