I realized after we put up the last New Year’s card with balloons, that I was really taking the easy way out.  I know I could do a lot better job and really, shouldn’t have made that video, but did it because I liked the card, but didn’t love it.  The difference is important.  When I put up a video I’m proud of, I am happy I made it, and feel like I’m giving people value for the time they put into watching a video.  If I don’t love it, I worry that people will feel like I shortchanged them, and that their time would have been better spent watching someone else.  I realize that this is a hobby for me, and not a money-making proposition, but I still feel guilty when I don’t think my work is good enough, because viewers only have a certain amount of time to watch videos, so why waste their time watching something that is just OK.

Viewers often tell me that I’m too hard on myself, but if I don’t push myself to do better, or different, then I think I’m giving myself an easy way out.  I started watching some technique videos today and decided I’m going to focus on some new techniques.  I was also asked by a viewer if I would do a white pigment ink comparison video, so that’s also on my agenda.  I have a few white pigment inks, but my Staz On is rock hard, and although I have the re-inker, I’m not sure if anything can save that.  I may just show it and explain that Staz-On requires a lot of re-inking, and figure out how to make it viable and show that instead of offering it as an option.    I also promised that I would make a video on embossing, and need to get serious about that as well.  I’m sure that different powders work differently on different papers, so will probably make a follow up video about that as well.  It’s about staying out of a rut, and not putting up a video just to say I did it.  I need to find techniques and ideas that excite me, and then go from there.  It’s not about letting others down, it’s about making sure I don’t let myself settle, and I’m not going to do that going forward.  At least I’m going to make every attempt not to do so..

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