Growth Mindset: Growth Beyond School

I mentioned in my Pinterest post that I occasionally do Scherenschnitte papercutting as a hobby. Traditional cutwork is found in several cultures worldwide, but I'm most familiar with the flowery style of the German/Pennsylvania German tradition that features a lot of hearts as well as stylized birds and flowers. So when someone from a historic site asked me about doing a Scherenschnitte cutout of the site's 18th-century house, I was like "Sure! I can do that!....Wait, that's actually not at all like what I usually do." Also, I typically cut patterns drawn by others; I'm not a designer myself, but I needed to draw a new pattern for this house.

I procrastinated for the next two weeks about getting started, until suddenly it was this last weekend and I was getting ready to head back to campus, after which I probably won't have enough time to do anything besides schoolwork. I really didn't want to start on this project, but I kept thinking about Growth Mindset and how I should push myself instead of staying in comfort zones. So I finally buckled down and got a pattern drawn. It's really more of a silhouette than a Scherenschnitte, but it will do for a first draft. It's probably the most tedious design I've ever tried to draw, with all the windowpanes that have to be lined up, but it's DONE, and it felt great to get it finished. Now I just have to cut it out...

poor shadowy photo by me of pattern draft

the Old Stone House in Granite Quarry, NC

personal photo