Don't bother, they're here.....

I answered an ad on Craigslist to make a costume for someone. It turned out to be for a CLOWN. That will teach me not to ask first! NOTHING is scarier than a clown!!! Well, except maybe an empty bank account....I met with the woman, and she was absolutely lovely. A real kindred spirit, just transplanted out East from California, and baffled and disheartened by all the snow. (Get in line, sister....) She needed a dress finished that she had half made in California by a different costumer, and a jacket constructed from scratch. We had an easy, pleasant meeting, and I went on my way.

It turns out the pattern she had chosen for the jacket was by a company I hadn't ever used before, and would never, ever recommend. The directions were next to impossible to follow, and I was so incredibly anxious the whole time, SURE I was going to mess it up and disappoint her terribly.

As it turns out, making this harder pattern was incredibly useful. I learned a bunch of stuff I didn't know before (Banded pocket openings, with contrasting flaps, thank you very much, as well as manual button hole construction, to accommodate big giant clown buttons) and I pulled it all together beautifully. As each part of the jacket came together, I could feel my self-esteem growing. I was really quite proud of the finished product.

And the client was THRILLED. We hadn't exactly settled on a price, mainly just ball-parks, and when I quoted her what I thought was fair, she said "I am not paying you that!" I could not believe what she said next: "I am paying you TWICE that!" And she did. And then she hired me to make her something else.

Stepping out of my usual skill set was really, really good for me. I learned something new, I gained a new friend (I hope) and I am generating a little extra income at a time when I desperately need it. All good things.

There is a bigger message here, and more questions to ask. Why was I so sure it would fail? Will I never believe that someone could be happy with what I have done? Why do I short sell myself all the time? Will I remember this enough to take yet another step out of my comfort zone?

Good questions, every one. I find creativity to be such a motivator. It's as if proving my competence in one area gives me the impetus to go ahead and try something else, or at least get off the couch and clean the house.

Is this what being confident feels like? Feels pretty damn good!