Recently, I was tasked with creating a video project for a class of mine, and my professor said we could use puppets. My project partner and I decided we were going to tell a Christmas story about two little mice that meet Santa Claus. We agreed that the idea was super cute, and I got to writing the script and making tiny mice while she made the backgrounds and prepared for recording. Upon buying supplies and cute holiday decorations for my little mice, I realized that I’m not very good at making things via sewing. Sure, I can fix a button or a tear, but I’m no professional. The last time I made something by sewing must have been at least 10 years ago… and that’s not exaggerating. Despite my apprehension, I found an adorable free pattern and started making my mice.
Long story short, the mice turned out okay. Admittedly, the second one was much, much better than the first. I decorated them with little red flowers and gave one a green scarf to make them look different from each other. Honestly, I thought they would turn out much worse than they did. It took me a moment after posting my adorable little mouse characters to my social media to realize I actually did a good job. I felt pretty critical of myself when I skipped a part of the directions or my stitches looked messy, or when a little beaded eye fell off or the ears looked floppy. Every piece that didn’t turn out like the photos online felt like a mistake at first.
Even though my first mouse wasn’t my favorite, I thought he looked cute enough to post. Soon enough, I had friends messaging me about how adorable he was. Even my brother sent me an excited text calling him “GORGEOUS.” I really wasn’t expecting the mouse to look so good to everyone else when I thought he looked a little rough. I took a second to really think about why I felt that way and it was pretty eye-opening. I’ve been working on my perfectionism for a long time. Everything from academics to hobbies had to be top-notch. I started out as a straight-A student and that kind of pressure kept me both motivated and afraid of failure. My parents never intended for me to face the weight of academic work and all the pressure that comes with it, but making my family proud and gaining benefits from being a good student really affected me.
I went through all of middle and high school riding the wave of my academic success, often ignoring how tired I was. I ended up getting plenty of scholarships and awards upon graduation, which affirmed all the hard work I’d done for a long time. But, once I got to college, I realized that my perfectionism isn’t going to get me anywhere if I’m exhausted all the time. I had to remember to put myself before my grades. My first year at college really solidified my trust in the process, and my grades were perfectly fine. I was so used to having to be perfect the first time that I didn’t realize I’d be fine anyway. I suppose the same goes for my mice. In reality, it was my own choice to have made them so complicated in the first place, which is another thing I’m working on, but at least I know I can take things one step at a time and know I’m going to be okay.
The final product doesn’t always have to be Insta-worthy, an A+ or award-winning. All you have to do is your best, and that isn’t always up to everyone else’s arbitrary standards. It’s all good. Maybe you need some little mouse friends to reassure you, so check out this free pattern! Go forth and make some perfectly imperfect little mice, and maybe you’ll get the same lesson (or just simple enjoyment) I did.