Day 26 — Ovals: Getting Around the Curve

The odds are increasing in my favor. This week I jumped in proficiency from 20% last week to 50% this week. You will hear me say this a lot but it's true. Practice. Practice and practice. It doesn't have to be for 30 minutes twice a day like me. It can be 15 minutes. Just stay consistent and results will happen. 

I'm in my fourth week and I re-watched my instructor, Becca's videos on the Oval. I noticed today that after the sixth row of ovals, my hand started getting tired. I kept pushing through and noticed everything after the six row was getting worse. My hand really started shaking. My ovals were getting progressively worse. I did nine rows today and that was too much. I started going faster, really rushing to finish because my hand was getting tired. 

Moving forward, I will stop at the six row. Anything after that isn't productive. There's nothing wrong with pushing yourself to do better. At what point do you stop and say, "Alright, this isn't helping and now has started hindering my progress?" That is what happened to me today. It's about self-awareness. 

I remind myself every day, just like today. I'm literally on the 26th day of learning calligraphy, not my 26th month (2 years and 2 months). We can be committed to learning. Our creative journey is allowed to be fun. We don't have to turn every practice session into a test or every page into a performance. Sometimes the greatest achievement is simply enjoying the act of creating.