Tuesday, July 5, 2011

Imitation- dangerous form of flattery

When I was a kid, my mom would use her curling iron to style my Barbie's hair. I, being 5, didn't know how to operate the heat styling device, but after watching her do it a few times I thought I could handle the job. So one afternoon I went into the bathroom, plugged in the curling iron and waited. Once it was heated up, I wrapped my Barbie's hair around the rod and held tightly while it curled. My mind was flooded with images of all the pretty hairstyles I could create with the fluffy, curly hair. I was so distracted that I neglected to notice the curling iron was smashed against the doll's face and melting it into a concave form. Of course I was reduced to tears and mom had to remind me that just because I watched her do it, that didn't mean I was an expert.

Much like my five year old self, we watch people build things and renovate spaces on TV and assume that it is a task we can handle ourselves. They make it look so easy! Before you know it we are in over our heads and the project has taken on a life of it's own. We start out trying to save money and be DIYers, but we end up shelling out more cash for someone else to fix our mistakes. Those TV shows overly simplify tasks with the help of editing. They can provide false confidence if you aren't skilled in the trades. It's said that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, but I think it's a dangerous one, as well. Be careful what you get yourself into- you might just end up with your project looking like the doll with the concave face and tears streaming down yours.

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