My Journey
TheJourney of Annabelle Makes Everything
“Annabelle, what are you making?” my dad questioned.
“A phone!” I said with scissors in my two-year-old hand.
My parents always encouraged me to be creative, although the tools weren’t always age-appropriate. If I made mistakes, my parents ensured I saw them so I could learn from them. I tasted a bite of each experimental recipe, even the ones that came out wrong. I learned the importance of how ingredients work together. I asked for a bathroom exhaust fan to construct a hoverboard when I was 7. The fan had enough force to lift a child if it weren’t for the fact that the fan itself weighed 50 lbs. At first, I was disappointed; however, later, I reflected on the impact of not calculating the board and fan weights in the design.
I redesigned a miniature hovercraft using lightweight foam and fans. My parents often allowed me to fail to help me learn and grow from my mistakes. I now know many valuable lessons, such as not purchasing items without researching them, tucking your head when doing a back handspring, and not using soldering irons near carpeted areas. While letting a toddler use scissors or an elementary schooler use power tools may have been ill-advised, it allowed me to develop an early love for creating and reinforced that mistakes should be valued. I learned what it meant to be supported and empowered as I tried new things.
My mistakes have helped teach me how to be successful. Just remember if you are going to make everything, you will make some mistakes along the way.
