In "The Nature & Design of Aesthetics" by David Pye, he comments on distinguishing between limitations set on by our technique and by our ability as craftsmen. I related to this because at the beginning of the project my mentality was negative and I didn't believe in myself the way that I should have. The reason behind my trepidation was because of my lack of experience with a bandsaw and time working with wood. I had no idea what I was doing, nor the correct processes and materials needed to fashion a vessel out of wood, but I was able to figure it out. Pye says that if we can distinguish between what's actually unachievable based on our ability and readily-available materials versus these mental limitations we tell ourselves, then we can be able to harness much more of our previously unknown talent.
For me, it was a matter of trial and error (over and over again). Even when the situation looked grim, I had to motivate myself to look at the situation from another aspect, and come back to it later on. That being said, Pye goes on to say that the artist must "relieve suffering where he finds it" meaning if you find grief, to not get frustrated and give up, yet carry on and look at it from a different perspective. I was one of those artists who had to relieve much grief I found while working on this project and I ask myself if the suffering was worth it. To that I say yes because we don't learn by merely succeeding on the first try every time. We succeed by putting ourselves in environments and around people out of our comfort zone.
