Take Your Time - Relax!

Unless you're carving and whittling for profit, you're probably doing it as a hobby.  Hopefully this means that it's any or all of the following:

It's fun.

It's relaxing.

It's a challenge.

It passes the time.

It's creative.

You love wood.

It's therapy.

You enjoy it.

Every now and then I am reminded of this, especially when I am sitting outside where it's quiet, cool, and I have my knife and a piece of Basswood.  I can clear my head of all other things and focus on what I am doing.  I can slow down and think out what knife technique is the best to use for a specific cut.  I can think ahead to see what I'll need to do next.  Some times I can think of the carving project as a chess game, where I must plan my steps.  I can put into play all those whittling/carving "TIPS" that I have read about and more.  I can slow my knife cuts down so I can focus on exactly where the knife blade tip is and where it's going.  I can observe what is happening where the blade is cutting the wood.  I can slow the cutting down, change the angle of the knife blade to make the precise cut that is needed.

You can learn so much if you can carve or whittle in "slow motion"; at least once in a while.