Make Something Extraordinary

Slow down and take your time. Make something extraordinary.

This has been my mantra lately as I have been developing several items for production. Some have been in the active development stage for over a year, which is unusual for me – usually once something is started, it is completed within about a month.

I find it helpful to remind myself that any additional refinement made now will benefit every piece made afterwards, much like a template. The more care taken in the preliminary stages, the better the final product. This is not the time to rush and take shortcuts!

One item is a 3D spiral cribbage board. Three tracks start at the base of the mountain and they wind their way up to the top – the winner is the first to the summit.

The design went through a few major changes in size and proportions after building prototypes and now I am at the tail end of streamlining the production. For example, I cut four sanding blocks of different radii to sand the tracks, but found that straight sticks were almost as efficient in use, and in careful hands maintained the curves. Straight sanding sticks were also much quicker to make.

In building the last board and studying the process, I realized that I need to make another two templates. Once their accuracy is confirmed, I will then build another version to make sure my process works as expected. Then, I might have something ready to offer – hopefully next month.

The race to the finish is more of a marathon than a sprint – it takes an investment of time, perseverance, stamina, focus, and belief in yourself and your purpose. Although your goal may not be well defined from the start, your purpose certainly should be realized.