Thinking Outside The Box And Failing

Do you ever have those days when everything you touch turns to...hooya?

I was thinking one night while lying in bed, why do citronella candles have to be so ugly? I imagined the outdoor bug repellent candles in cute stripes of pink, orange, aqua, and lime green, scattered about a summer lawn, flickering from twilight into the night, keeping those pesky mosquitoes away. Citronella candles don't have to be yellow. Party colors are the answer.

The next morning I woke up and hurried down to the studio, melted the wax and lined up all the festive colors. I spent hours pouring the thin layers of colored wax, getting more exited as the molds filled. At the end of the day after the candles had cooled and could be removed from the molds I unveiled the product of my vision. Except they looked nothing as I imagined. I hadn't achieved a smooth surface finish. My orange layer was too red. My lime green layer was too yellow. I failed.

I was so disappointed that after hours of work my four little candles were nothing like I envisioned them. Oh sure, I can take them to the cabin and share the attempt I made at festive citronella candles with my family. Functionally they'll be fine. Visually, not so fine. At least in my opinion.

Days later I'm still hesitant to try again. But it's such a good idea. By the weekend I'll probably be ready to make another attempt. Who knew a simple candle could be so complicated? Especially one designed just for bugs.