Jun
Risk or Mediocrity?
This weekend, I spent time working on military miniatures. Most of the painting was for classic World War 2 “Army Men”. There was one unusual figure: a Bavarian soldier circa 1900 – 1910. The Bavarian required extra effort. His uniform was more ornate and the color was an unusual shade of blue. I had never painted this specific type of figure before.
The Bavarian soldier required some fancy work. His uniform and equipment demanded more than twice the different colors of army men. There were many small details, from brass buttons on his cuffs to piping on his tunic. It took me more than twice as long to paint him. A lot of extra work was done because there was so much that could go wrong. One little error could ruin the entire work.
One thing I did was try to replicate the Bavarian crest on the soldier’s spiked helmet. It was hard and it could have been a mess. I could have settled for something simpler, but I gave it a try. At that small size, it is hard. Doing it was a risk. Desire for a better miniature outweighed any likelihood of making mistakes.
The result is satisfying. The little Bavarian soldier is one of the most attractive pieces I have done in a long time.
This little tin soldier illustrates something I learned years ago. What often separates mediocrity from excellence is risk. This is not a gamble, but the fact that doing better means doing more. In doing more, the chances of something going wrong are greater. Excellence requires taking on these extra steps regardless of risk. It is a desire to do better rather than seek safety in the lesser.
As for mistakes: more often than not, you can repair a mistake or work around it. A mistake can only mar the result if you let it. A part of an excellent result is dealing with any mistakes which may occur along the way. The willingness to face them and fix them is a key element in success. It takes more work to make a better result. The benefits of doing better outweigh everything else.
“Good enough” is the mediocre standard. “Do better” is the standard for excellence. Quality is its own reward.
