I don’t market myself as a DIY guru because I am not. Am I creative and have the ability to make things from what seems to be nothing, yes (check out my tables). Do I dream up pretty things and then make them with my hands and tools? Yes! I actually used to make jewelry. Am I a master DIYer? Absolutely not! I have failed so hard so many times I should have a “nailed it” (sarcastic) meme library. But that does not discourage me from continuing to try.
My last major diy project was a concrete counter top for my kitchen island. I ordered all of the supplies, made several trips to Home Depot, and went over the instructions many times. I watched multiple videos, stalked DIYers and finally decided to get started.
I carried the four-50 lb bags of concrete from my carport downstairs to my basement. Then, by myself poured a bag at a time into the trough. POOF! Concrete dust everywhere! I chalked that up as my first defeat. Definitely a team lift/pour situation. I moved on to adding the water and using my handy dandy power drill with a mixer attachment and began to mix. That was a serious workout, and I began to feel frustrated. The consistency wasn’t right (supposed to add gradually), it was laborious, and I was over it. But I couldn’t just give up so I continued the process and finally got to the point to pouring, and guess what I forgot?!?! A TROWEL. Seriously Erika?!? SERIOUSLY?!? I did my best with what I had.
But because I was so hell bent on doing this by myself, I ended up spending a lot more time and physical and emotional energy than I should have. So what did I learn from this semi-failure? Finished products don’t tell the whole story. That stands trues for so many things. Just because something appears beautiful definitely does not mean that some ugliness didn’t precede. And most definitely a lot of hard butt-kicking work went into that final product. You have to experience ugly to appreciate beauty. Another lesson- there is no shame in asking for help. I had some very kind people offer their services; from my favorite guy at Home Depot to my awesome roommate. But #becausePRIDE I declined. This is something I am definitely working on as I continue to grow as a “diyer”, a designer and a person.
What projects have you failed so hard at? What were the lessons learned? Let me know! Not really a failure if you can take something positive to the next project/endeavor/move!
*I hope to have some pictures from this project to show soon