SO… you’re determined to radically change your life and take yourself on an audacious, life-changing, miniature-creating journey? I foresee it being (skydive) terrifying, (drag race) thrilling and with occasional (screaming roller coaster) ups and downs! How on earth does one begin this journey?

If you’ve read my About page, you’ll know that I’m as green as a new palm shoot. Even getting to this very place has created some wild stress and serious nightmares. But I cannot afford to be discouraged or distracted… no looking left or right… I can’t turn back now! Keep-eyes-on-goal-at-all-times… 

Ever since I made the determined decision to incorporate and prioritize creativity in my life, I faced the practical dilemma of how exactly do I start to do that? What do you do when you know nothing about something? You research…! All these turning points and changes in my life happened during the first months of South Africa’s Covid-19 lockdown, so I had a crazy amount of time on my hands. It was good for research, but also bad for someone who lies awake and tries to solve all sorts of imaginary problems and scenarios! How could I ever hope to create miniatures that enthused people, let alone allow me to make a living… or even more incredulously, inspire / encourage someone to make changes in their own life?? A kaleidoscope of thoughts would ceaselessly swirl around in my head, producing few forthcoming answers. 

1. Find and pursue that which stirs your soul

When there’s an ocean of internet information and possibilities bombarding you with facts, diversion and more unanswered questions, it’s so easy to get distracted and lose the thread! In my case, I was looking for ‘the something’ that I didn’t even know existed… a different way to create tiny medieval treasures. As mentioned in my About page, I didn’t want to create them by doing woodwork, steelwork etc (which I cannot do)! I therefore continued to keep my focus only on exploring topics which stirred me deeply. I found so many ways to create one thing, but was drawn to the people who also understood how hard-earned one’s creative freedom is. One such person is Heather Tracy from Thicketworks… her honesty, vulnerability and gentle, supportive words created an unprecedented thrill and eagerness in me. Discovering her website felt like I had unwittingly stumbled into Tutankhamun’s burial chamber… I was simply mesmerized. Her beautiful Medieval miniatures made me catch my breath… her creative world blew my mind! Not only had I found someone who could help show me how to make these miniature treasures, but I had found ‘my something’! I had no choice now… I simply had to create miniatures in this style!   

I heard about the Cricut Maker for the first time…  a smart, compact, powerful die-cutting machine that cuts and scores designs out of almost any material one desires. It does this very efficiently and, most importantly, in a fraction of the time it takes to cut things out by hand. The Maker presented various possibilities for the creation of my miniatures. Ready-to-cut digital designs can be downloaded for free or purchased online from the file’s designer, and uploaded into Design Space – Cricut’s cloud-based software. Better yet, one can learn to create one’s own custom designs from scratch, thus taking the magic to a whole new level! The more I investigated the Cricut Maker, the more I liked. It seemed that the teeny-tiny treasures I yearned to make, could be created in an astonishing new way. I had to have this cutting-edge, radical machine! 

Of course, there were stumbling blocks. Although launched in the USA in 2017, the Cricut Maker had still not come to South Africa by 2020.  Although that in itself is not a huge problem, the fact that many international retailers do not deliver to South Africa… is! And the ones that do deliver, were out of stock for months. In addition to that, even if international delivery is available, I almost never take the risk of importing items via ordinary mail. I have lost countless parcels because of our shockingly inefficient postal system. South Africans choose to rather pay exorbitantly to import via courier. 

2. Keep your focus

I scoured the internet for alternative ways to import the machine. There were none. As it is, the Cricut Maker is not cheap. I agonized over the dilemma – I had to either pay much more for the machine, or find other ways to create the miniatures in the manner that I wanted to. After weeks of deliberation and planning, the positives eventually outweighed – and my only real choice was to pay 50% more than cost price for the Cricut Maker! I had to keep telling myself… keep-eyes-on-goal-at-all-times. Then the agonizing wait as I tracked my ‘investment’ across the seas… and 69 days later the magical box finally arrived! 

I want to highlight this point… change of ANY kind requires courage. No one said it would be easy becoming the person you’re meant to be. It takes huge pluck to tap into the unique power that’s inside you. All that the world sees is end results, but that’s as deceptive as the iceberg’s tip. They want to see the crossing of the finish line, but they don’t know anything of the marathon you’re busy running! They don’t see the endless research, late nights, failed attempts, stumbling blocks, learning curves and self-doubt. But never mind what they think or advise… you have what’s needed. Your secret (and best) weapon is your never-say-die attitude. Your mindset steadily shifts to accommodate this transition in your life, and you are prepared to give whatever is needed. Success is your dream watered and nurtured… so KEEP YOUR FOCUS!

3. Join a community and family

I simply cannot emphasize this point enough!! Joining Cricut Maker and miniature communities on social media has greatly helped to dispel my suspicions that I’m the only human who makes mistakes and regularly wants to curl up in the foetal position. It is incredibly motivating to be warmly received ‘into the fold’, and to be continuously encouraged to create without boundaries. Miniature-making is not big at all in South Africa, but it’s huge (ha ha) in e.g. USA and Europe. It is amazing to see such creative people supporting a beginner. I would be stranded, so to speak, if it wasn’t for this support! There are no mistakes – everything is about learning. This helps me to breathe, and to remember that although I know very little at present, I am learning from peers and niche specialists who have years of experience. 

4. Not only money – invest energy and time

I have also bought an online course on how to design my own Cricut Maker SVG files, so that I can be free to create medieval miniatures in my own style. That’s the dream. However, the reality is that I’m currently muddling through this overpowering tsunami of information, and quite frankly, I am engulfed and overwhelmed! I’ve become acutely aware that the most priceless commodity right now is my time… there simply isn’t enough of it to accomplish everything. Every spare moment is poured into my dream. Some individuals starting on a scary new chapter need more structure, others need to breathe and exhale more. Whichever it might be, the way opens up for each one… the path lights up one step at a time and becomes clearer as you learn and grow. For me, it’s now ‘normal’ to get to bed only at 2am, because I find that from 10pm is when the world it at its quietest, and I can focus uninterruptedly on everything that needs doing. The difference with giving so much of my time now, is that IT’S EFFORTLESS! I LOVE IT!! I’m growing in confidence because I keep learning a little more each day. It will all add up, and it will produce results.        

So… that’s how I began the journey… and I am now here. I have literally opened my (Pandora’s) box of dreams. I know beyond a doubt that herein lies creative growth and self fulfillment that is yet untapped and undiscovered. On the journey ahead lies amazing unparalleled adventure as well as (undoubted) frustration! But there is no going back now… I’m escaping into the Wonderland.  

Remember these 4 important steps when starting your creative journey:

• Find ‘your something’ – not what looks right for others, but what blows you away. Pursue that which stirs your soul – keep looking till you find it. 
• Find available ways to help make the road easier. Join online communities that are relevant to your passion. Be part of a family that ‘gets it’ – this makes the difference. Learn from specialists already in the game.  
• Invest in your valuable dream – not only money, but precious time. Keep working at it, and keep repeating… it will produce results.
• You can see / feel your dream even when others can’t. Keep your focus. We lose our zeal because of fear, criticism, not seeing results. Your childhood dreams are forever within you, they cannot be extinguished. You can’t afford to be discouraged or distracted… keep-eyes-on-goal-at-all-times