The Dreaded Learning Curve

One of the most challenging but also the most rewarding aspect of metalsmithing is the gradual evolution of the skill, the way you constantly learn and improve the quality of what you're able to do. Any new skill usually takes me at least 3 attempts to master, or if not master, at least make something I'm not embarrassed to show in public. I usually hide my failures (after much lamentation) deep in my scrap box never to see the light of day again. My good friend Veronica is so much braver than I, and she has been kind enough to document and share pictures of her learning curve with the rest of us. Captions are mine, so don't blame her for any words I've put in her mouth!

Veronica is learning to saw. She's also discovering that learning to saw is harder than it looks. Sometimes what you end up with doesn't look anything like the picture you had in your head, and when you get done you feel like you've made the world's ugliest tin can.



Sometimes, you discover you can't cut metal to save your life, but you would have made a fantastic butcher.



So you clean up the blood, find yourself a bandaid, give yourself a pep talk, and you try again. This time you're happier (read: less horrified) but the straight parts are still a little wavy and the wavy parts a bit too straight.



By now you have a blister to go with your cut and you're wondering just how much blood and skin the Metalsmithing Gods require in sacrifice before they give their blessing. Sometimes, the learning process hurts.



Finally, you try one last time. Before you start you tell yourself that this is the last time, if you can't make something wearable this time around you'll give up. You give it all you've got and do your very best work, and finally you're satisfied with the end result.




The sun shines and the little birdies sing and you sleep the sleep of the righteous that night because you've finally mastered the beast. You head to the forums to brag about your hard-won skillz, and on the way you notice this.



You realize you've just scratched the surface of what can be done with a simple saw and accept that you'll be learning for the rest of your life.

And we could all do worse than to be learning for the rest of our lives. There is nothing more satisfying than climbing a personal Mount Everest, and metalsmithing offers a thousand mountain climbing opportunities every time you turn around.

I'm glad to have each and every one of you along for the ride. Enjoy the climb!