I was initially frustrated by my lack of control while trying to etch the glass...until I found out that 1)I was a bit too short to work easily at the classroom table; and 2)my pen-style etching tool put a lot of strain on my hand; I have a vascular birthmark on my right hand that somewhat compromises the strength of the back half of my hand, so that the front half literally does most of the "heavy lifting." The instructor had me step up on about a 3-inch-tall box of leading, and then had me use a cutting tool with a whole-hand grip, and -- ta da! -- most of the problem disappeared. (And as you allude to, much of the remaining problem was simple patience, because I always expect that I'll be 100 percent perfect on the first try of anything new I do.;-) I've gone through two therapists spelunking the "why" of that personality quirk.)
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How much of this is dexterity and how much is patience? I have more of the former than the latter.
I was initially frustrated by my lack of control while trying to etch the glass...until I found out that 1)I was a bit too short to work easily at the classroom table; and 2)my pen-style etching tool put a lot of strain on my hand; I have a vascular birthmark on my right hand that somewhat compromises the strength of the back half of my hand, so that the front half literally does most of the "heavy lifting." The instructor had me step up on about a 3-inch-tall box of leading, and then had me use a cutting tool with a whole-hand grip, and -- ta da! -- most of the problem disappeared. (And as you allude to, much of the remaining problem was simple patience, because I always expect that I'll be 100 percent perfect on the first try of anything new I do.;-) I've gone through two therapists spelunking the "why" of that personality quirk.)
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