The guy that gave us all the wood for my floor (previous blog post) did not ask for anything and I am so unbelievably grateful. That's why I decided to make him a mosaic. Our mutual acquaintance said he likes Grateful Dead.
Now, in spite of the fact that I am constantly preaching to people that they need to quit worrying about what other people think, I did a lot of worrying about this mosaic. I worried about people thinking less of me because the piece was almost entirely just a copy of someone else's work (a Grateful Dead album cover.) I worried that the signature took up a significant percentage of the mosaic's space and people might think I am arrogant... even though the signature that I decided on could not possibly be cut smaller.
A simple mosaic that was to be a gift to make me (the giver) and someone else happy became the source of a lot of baggage. I am trying to be aware of how often I do this so that I can redirect my thoughts.
When I copy, I do save myself some time in design, but I make it far harder for myself in craftsmanship. I mean, making a skull is one thing, but to make exactly THAT skull... those zig zag cuts in 1/4 inch glass! Working on another little thank you right now. No copying, just easy breezy fun.
