It's all too easy to get lost in a sea of details.  I know because that's what I've been doing for the last week.  And it's been doing my head in!  Don't get me wrong, I love details.  I'm your girl if you want to break a project down into teeny, tiny parts or figure out just what kind of fastening you're going to use for a cushion cover (button, zipper, no fastening at all?).  I'll happily spend hours chatting to friends about fonts for logos, paper for labels and the right kind of glue to use.  Details can be beautiful.  Just like that rusty old hinge in the above picture that adorns my Pa's work shed in country Victoria.

But there comes a time when you need to step back from all the details to see the bigger picture.  When your focus narrows it's very easy for the detail to become the whole picture.  When that happens you can find yourself having a tantrum about not being able to find anyone in Australia who manufactures small recycled cardboard tubes.  Yep, that was me.  Major hissy fit about no-one having exactly what I wanted, right now.  I know, not pretty at all!

That's when it's time to take a reality check.  And fast.  So I did.  I've got a roof over my head, food in my belly and family and friends who love me.  So who cares if I can't find the "right" packaging.  Does it really matter?  Well, yes, I'm ashamed to say.  For me it does.  I like having everything just so.  But I also like getting things done and spending more time online searching for something that didn't exist was just plain stupid.  

I needed to get some perspective.  Broaden my vision and see past the details.  First I needed to define what I needed.   Next was figuring out what qualities were important.  I broke those qualities down into must-haves, desirables and negotiable.  My need?  Protective packaging for my product.  Qualities?  Recycled was a must-have.  Australian made was desirable.  Round - negotiable.  

Doing this opened up my whole world.  Next time you're bogged down in the details, give it a go!

Workshop update:  My next Barefoot Shoe Making Workshop is running 5-6 March 2016 in Blackburn, Victoria.  Check out the workshops page for more details.