Hopes and expectations

We all have them; sometimes they are satisfied, and sometimes they aren't. Sometimes they are realistic, and sometimes we expect too much. Sometimes they blend together, and we begin to expect what we probably shouldn't even dare to hope.

I know, I know: you're waiting for me to get specific. Surely something must have prompted this burst of philosophy. Well, yes. Recently I had a bad experience with someone whose expectations I didn't meet. She bought my button clasp tutorial and was unhappy with it. She felt it wasn't innovative enough; she told me in no uncertain terms that she'd expected more from me.

It's a simple clasp; there isn't a lot to it. But it's one of my favorite go-to clasps when I want something decorative and easy. It always gets compliments. I can make it in about five or ten minutes, and I've made it many, many times. After getting this complaint, I thought long and hard about it; it really shook me up. Should I continue to offer a tutorial for such a simple clasp?

My first reaction was pretty extreme; I wanted to close up my shop, take my blogs down, and not offer tutorials anymore; to run away, hide and bead privately. It's my joy, and I don't want to lose that. Obviously, I reconsidered. Instead of quitting, I took a good hard look at the concept of expectations. I didn't measure up to hers, and I'm sorry that she was disappointed. But, even though I'm not as clever as she wanted me to be, I do still have things to offer.

Not everything I do is complex; not everything is innovative or new. But that doesn't mean it isn't worth doing. I'm sure that a great many people have looked at this particular clasp and figured out how to do it on their own. It's that easy. But, for those who want to know how I did it, it's there in my store. It's a little thing, but it's something I like, it's something I use a lot, and something that I will always use.

In fact, I like it so much that I'm using it for the clasp on my entry for Use the Muse III. I just got my kit yesterday, and the muse is ideal for my simple button clasp, even though it isn't technically a button. No, my piece isn't ready for a clasp yet, I've tons and tons of work to do before I attach the clasp; but I made it this morning, and it's there, waiting for me. I can't show it to you now; the muse must remain hidden until the big reveal, sometime in November.

It meets my expectations. I hope I continue to meet yours.