This is a story of one very amateur crafter who knew her place in the world.
It begins with a giddy couple and their brand new house. Their heritage (her a Scot, he a Jew) made the name of their Philly castle quite obvious: Glen Yiddish. She loved all things Pinterest and set about to make a plaque for their abode. She found slate on a string, some paint, a font she loved, and figured, “how hard could this be?”
She made an attempt to lightly imprint a reverse image onto the slate (genius, right?).
Not so much.
Our heroine flipped it over and attempted to just free-hand it. Splotches were made. Mistakes were, um, “revised” with more paint. The end product was passable… from a distance.
The kind-hearted fiancé spoke words of encouragement. The mother thought it was marvelous (“Surely my daughter can do anything!”). But the heroine knew better. She knew her attempt was noble (not among the ranks of Regretsy or Pinstrosity) but was not the glorious signage Glen Yiddish deserved.
There are superheroes who do this for a living. One such is Kate of Kate Farley Design. She emerged from the womb, feathered quill in hand, scrawling the most beautiful lettering this side of Narnia.
Lo and behold, Hand Letterer Superhero Kate whipped up something above and beyond anything this amateur crafter could muster.
Moral of the story: There is certainly something to be said for the pride of a great, successful DIY (please note Andy’s wonderful hook rack) but there is a reason we have professionals. If it is important enough, pay a professional who has the patience, vision, and expertise that comes from years of experience. They can do work that blows away the amateurs/weekend warriors/novices.
Yes, I’m talking about weddings now and, when you’ve seen enough of them, you know the magnificent product that happens when you have a team of qualified wedding planners, make-up artists, musicians, videographers, caterers, florists, calligraphers… If it’s important to you, don’t skimp. It won’t look like it did on Pinterest unless you use people who have mastered their craft.
I am a photographer (not a videographer, seamstress, architect, dentist, or hand letterer).
“If people knew how hard I had to work to gain my mastery, it would not seem so wonderful at all.”
~ Michelangelo
