Phew. I did it.
My first flask investment and dewaxing process is DONE. This is one of the steps building up to the thing I've been working towards—casting using the lost wax method. And let me tell you, it took ALL EFFING DAY.
I spent the morning getting things cleaned up and ready to go. Triple-checking everything. Forgetting that I had calculations IF I TURNED THE PAGE ONE MORE TIME in my notebook that would have saved me 2 hours, mixing it incorrectly 3 times and dragging my partner in to scratch his head with me lol.
You know that feeling when you're doing something new and you just keep checking and rechecking because you want to make sure you get it right? That was me. All day.
The studio looked like a tornado hit it by the time I was done—investment powder everywhere, tools I swore I just had in my hand suddenly missing, my phone calculator open with numbers I couldn't remember what they were for.
My partner kept coming by to tell me how proud they were. Which was so sweet, even if to me it felt like I was getting nowhere fast. Sometimes you just need someone to rally behind you to remind you that this IS the creative work.
Here's the thing: I got through it, and I didn't die...
Plus, I got the venting system adjusted and rehung above the kiln so it's ready to go for tomorrow!
My first go at it wasn't perfect, it wasn't fast, and I definitely learned about fifteen things I'll do differently next time. But I got in the studio and figured it out as I went... and got through it.
There's something about doing a thing for the first time that makes you feel both completely incompetent and wildly capable at the same time. Like, "I have no idea what I'm doing" and "holy shit, I'm actually doing this" happening simultaneously in your brain.
Adding casting to my skillset feels huge. It opens up so many possibilities for what I can create. And yeah, it took all day. But it's one of those days where even though you're exhausted, having a partner who reflects that THIS is an accomplishment, and I AM being creative, makes you go to bed feeling like you just leveled up.
Here's to first times, messy studios - wish me luck tomorrow xo
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