"You can lose yourself one small compromise at a time. You can transform yourself one small win at a time." - James Clear

Let us contemplate for one moment the fine art of losing yourself. Not the dramatic, Into the Wild-and-die from-eating-the-wrong-berry kind of losing yourself, but the slow, sneaky erosion of who you are, one small, teeny, tiny compromise of a shrew at a time.

It starts harmlessly enough... “This'll do,” you think, shrugging off your better instincts like last season’s fashion. Next thing you know, you’re sitting in the beige cardigan of conformity, eating salad, wondering where it all went wrong.

But, joy of joys, it works the other way too. Yay! Transformation isn’t a climactic rendition of Let it Go... no, it's actually built in tiny, unsexy increments - the small wins that mount up over time like a game of creative Jenga.

As a self-confessed “accidental artist” (aka someone who chucks glass into a kiln and hopes for the best), this process is literally baked into my work. I’ve made enough “abstract disasters” to know that creativity doesn’t always show up as a grand epiphany or some Pinterest-worthy burst of inspiration. More often, it’s about plodding through the shards all over the floor, swearing profusely, and celebrating the teeniest of tiny victories - like opening the kiln and experiencing that moment of what the actual fuck... I DID THAT?!?!... in a good way.

Compromise vs. Creativity

I find that compromise in the creative process is a very slippery slope. It’s saying, “This is good enough,” when you know that it isn’t. When you do that, the thing that emerges from the kiln is rarely anything worthy.

Instead, fight back - tweak it, faff with it, love it, be present with it and by all means experiment, just don't say "this'll do" becuase it invariably won't. Don't let compromise steal your wins.

The Kiln of Transformation

If you want a metaphor for transformation, look no further than the kiln. You can’t rush it. You can’t open the door halfway through and expect anything other than heartbreak and shattered dreams (literally). The magic happens slowly, under intense heat, and in complete mystery...

Much like life? Whether it’s mastering a new skill, building a business (or salvaging a particularly stubborn glass project), the transformation is incremental and often invisible until it isn’t. One day, you’re swearing over trying to cut a particularly grumpy Bombay Sapphire gin bottle, and the next, you’ve created something stunning that you barely recognise as yours.

Embrace the Wins, Love the Wins, Take them to Bed With You at Night

So, fuck compromise. Focus on the small wins instead. That one time, you didn't bleed all over your freshly cleaned glass, the first time that your tack fusing schedule worked, the one time you nearly left your furry apprentice in the kiln because you were so focused on your glass.

The moments that transform you happen not all at once, but one small win at a time.

This week's small win? Salvaging a broken 'test' piece into something beautiful!