Not as easy as I thought it would be!

Did you hear the recent story of the old lady in Italy who took it upon herself to redo an ancient Fresco in her local church? It turned out, the job wasn't as easy as she thought it would be! 

That happens to me sometimes, although with not quite as drastic results.

I took wax working tools with me on my recent vacation. I hadn't worked with wax for 3 years, actually since I learned how to use it. At school I surprised myself with how quickly I "got it". My teachers were encouraging and I enjoyed the process. In the years that followed,  I always thought, I've got to do wax again. It's so easy!

Finally, one day at a peaceful spot at the edge of a clear water lake, I set the wax working tools on a marble slab table and began to carve. I had seen some Byzantine crosses at the Met and was inspired to try making my own version in a wax model (to later be cast in silver). I also started a ring, but knew I wouldn't be able to finish without my electric flexshaft.

At the end of the day, I was hot, tired and covered in tiny flakes of green wax. The cross and ring models were sorry little things. I wasn't disappointed though, because I felt good that I had taken the first step to realize I need time to practice those skills. So, I am closer to creating what I've envisioned. Still, it wasn't as easy as I thought it would be!

How about you? Have you had a recent experience where you found out it wasn't as easy as you thought it would be? Tell me in the comments, I'd love to know.