We are Super Excited...and very nervous!
Tomorrow (Friday 7th February) we are driving down to Hamilton to go to the National Dahlia Show on Saturday and Sunday.
We are going to pick our flowers tonight, then pack them into the van so that in the morning we don’t have to pack up much.
I’m really excited, but nervous too. I really don’t want to make a mistake and have all of those dahlia growers laugh at us.
There are so many what-ifs that could happen.
What if all our dahlias die on the way there?
What if they all wilt and look ridiculous?
What if we get there and all our dahlias are rubbish?
What if, what if, what if…
My list goes on and on and on (and it gets longer the closer we get to the show). And that’s only the start of it.
But I am proud of our dahlias.
I know how much time and effort we put into growing those flowers, how hard we worked to get some of them flowering on the right day. (It’s harder than it looks!)
So even if we get laughed out of the show, we can be proud of how hard we tried and plan next time even more carefully.
I hope that if we make mistakes, someone would help us get better, because there is always a next time, and always room for improvement.
We are Showcasing our Art, too!
The Hamilton Dahlia Society (who are running the show) were really kind to us and have offered us a stall to sell our art.
Lately, I’ve been working on a series of three realistic artworks based around New Zealand. I have one on native birds, one on native plants and a Kiwiana artwork.
I am very pleased with them!
I am really grateful to have a place to sell them, of course, but it comes with a lot more what-ifs and self-doubt.
What if people think my drawings are childish, or aren’t really worth selling?
What if I put the prices too high and nobody buys them?
What if I’m not good enough to do this sort of thing?
Or, worst of all, what if everyone laughs at me?
But I am proud of my art.
I know how long it took me to finish, how much time and care I spent on them.
So even if people laugh at me, even if it stings a bit, I know I can keep my head up high because I am proud.
I am proud with what I have achieved, and that is enough. Like, it would be nice if others liked my art too, but for now, all I need to know is that I am proud of myself and happy with what I can do.
And guess what?
The very best thing about being unschooled is that we are always learning. So even if we fail everything, we can learn from our mistakes and try again!
I really love the unique way we learn!
One of our favourite sayings is ‘A mistake is not a mistake if you learn from it’ and this is true for everything we do. (Although, I think that we should try to avoid making mistakes in the first place…)