31 Jul 2019

Here is where I f*cked up.

I thought I was a genius for choosing the "artsy" subjects over maths, science and history, thinking that Year 12 would be a beautiful bludge. Art class would just involve talking about Frida Kahlo, right? Drama would just be playing thank god you're here, right? Music class would just be a loud jam session, right?

Wrong. Wrong. Oh so wrong.

With that mindset, I was not prepared for the shit storm coming my way with three major works to get started on. Here's what will be inevitable while working on your major works, so you'll be somewhat prepared. And if it's any consolation, it'll all be okay in the end, trust me. 

1. You'll want to change your idea again and again and again

I get flustered choosing where to eat, let alone committing to one idea to work on for the year. I changed my ideas again and again, either because I wasn't particularly passionate about them, they weren't feasible or they were just too convoluted. One of my ideas felt like it was sent from the heavens above and then, during crunch time, I snapped to reality and realised that it was actually incredibly stupid and I'd totally wasted my time.  

It's okay to change your idea, if anything, it's for the best as you probably have something better stirring. To reduce stress from too many changes though, allocate a lot of time to pre-production rather than jumping the gun. Spend time testing prototypes and researching. 

2. Welcome to Stress Street

The biggest mistake I made was leaving everything for the last minute, telling myself that it'll all be alright because diamonds are made under pressure. I truly am a dumbass. I was crippled with the stress of three major works and at one point genuinely considered just moving to Yemen and living as a goat.

Stress can obviously be subsided. If I'd been on top of my schedule and managed my time, working on each major work a little bit every day rather than banging it out in one go, I would not have been so frazzled. But even if you're on top of all that, stress will still make it's way to you, one way or another. Maybe something goes wrong, maybe you're nervous, maybe you feel like you don't have enough time. It's okay to stress though as it'll push you to do your best work. 

3. Other people's work will fluster you

Kendal's Led Zeppelin cover sounds divine, Luke's animal cruelty artwork could turn you vegan and Jordan's woodwork project looks so legit that you want to buy it.

You'll be stuck comparing your major work to others whether they're further ahead in progress than you or you like their work more than your own. But here's the thing about major works. Everyone differs in styles, inspiration and motivation, and some work quicker than others. Every major work is going to be different so there's no point comparing your work to anyone else's. Just work to your own groove, schedule and style. 

4. Things will go oh so wrong

Things go wrong. My violin string snapped minutes before my major performance and a girl in my drama group project dropped out and we had to completely rescript. It was stressful and overwhelming when things didn't go as pictured but things turned out alright in the end, sometimes better than I thought.

Things may not go to plan but practical problems have practical solutions. Don't get too worked up about it, do what you can to solve it and it'll all be alright.

5. You'll finish it

I've been negative Nancy in this article but guess what. Things will also go right too, I promise. You'll be inspired by other peoples work and Stress Street will lead to your best work. Have fun with it, experiment and go wild. Finally, you'll submit it and will feel like a weight has been lifted from your shoulders and, oh man, will the relief be worth all the trauma.