Wednesday, August 08, 2012

The Process is the Point of Making It

Dahlia by Hajime Komiya

I heard this quote the other day while watching a short film about origami at the Japanese-American Museum in Los Angeles: The process is the point of making it.  I thought it made sense in the world of craft.  I always have to go through a very long process before I can actually make something - I think about it, I daydream about it, I might sketch it out, I might even fiddle around with various materials before I finally come to understand how I want to make it.  Once I have gone through the process, I am sometimes able to make something and sometimes not - but I think I am always better for having gone through the steps - the process.
I think this quote has a larger meaning too.  Going through the process of learning something is important to all of us.  Taking the short cuts - imitating someone else or copying their model - is actually pointless and will not lead to growth.  Learn from your mistakes, grow from your mistakes and do your own thing - you will understand yourself and your project better - and you will develop into an authentic person.
Do I need to make up bumper stickers - or can we all just get it?

11 comments:

  1. I think we can all get it -- but bumper stickers of this would be awesome!

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  2. I waffle between product and process. I like to see something at the end of my effort. But I have to remind myself that process is learning.

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  3. good words for thought! I wrote the quote down1

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  4. Hmmm...mostly I am not a repeat-maker. I love the process and want to experience how things go together. Is this the same thing?

    On the other hand, there is one item that I knit over and over primarily because the action is soothing. But I also have a useful gift at the end!

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  5. I love this idea...so much food for thought...and the reason so many of us are just drawn to create...it is the process that is so good for our souls!

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  6. You've got a big "Amen" from me on this one! I totally get it and couldn't have said it better myself! Anticipation is half the fun.

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  7. Absolutely! I want to do my own thing. It's why I never take classes, or buy kits.

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  8. If you make the bumper sticker I'll buy it - I have said this for years!
    I love the making of things - I don't do it to have the finished product, I do it to have the joy of making it.

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  9. Anonymous10:27 PM

    It's about time someone said it! Shallow minds copy great ideas, they know not the great gift of individuality.

    R.A.S.

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  10. I LOVE this quote! I've never heard it before, but certainly needed to! To me it says that the process and the project are important. I go through that long process too and then wonder if it was all a waste of time. Don't ask me why. This quote is like being validated for what we create. Thank you!

    Cathy ♥

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  11. i must say, i prefer the whole process to the actual end product.

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