When to compete?

[Noreen Moore]

I love your monthly competitions! Such talented people! Curious when is a good time to try a competition? I do not feel my soaping skills are good enough to even rank an honorable mention I just think it would be fun to try to "up" the learning curve and what a fun way to try new things.
So... When did you start to compete?

 

[Obsidian]

The competitions were started to encourage people to try new things. If you want to enter, then do so.

 

[Mobjack Bay]

It’s a great way to build your soap making skill set. Why wait?

 

[dibbles]

I was a very newbie soaper and new to this forum when the challenges started. It has been a good way for me to move out of my comfort zone and try new things. You qualify to enter, so give it a try any time.

 

[cmzaha]

I really do not think there is a good or bad time and simply up to you. Since I sell I simply do not like odd-size bars or batches plus did not have time to spend working on soaps for challenges so I choose not to enter the challenges. Now I do have the time and may not have markets when this mess is over but now I simply have no desire too. It is fun to see what everyone makes so I love the challenges.

 

[Dahila]

I really do not think there is a good or bad time and simply up to you. Since I sell I simply do not like odd-size bars or batches plus did not have time to spend working on soaps for challenges so I choose not to enter the challenges. Now I do have the time and may not have markets when this mess is over but now I simply have no desire too. It is fun to see what everyone makes so I love the challenges.

same here my market is probably closed and my booth is, Not selling .........I do not want to be now very creative

 

[Misschief]

I did my first challenge as soon as I had enough posts. It's a good way to learn techniques you might not otherwise try. Personally, I don't enter each month because there are times I'm just not interested in the technique at that time or I'm just too busy with work and the market. Now, I don't really have an excuse as I'm not working at the moment and my market season isn't scheduled to start until May.

 

[artemis]

I think the time to jump in would be when the challenge is for something you are interested in trying.

 

[atiz]

Agree with @artemis, compete when you find a challenge you want to try. I waited quite long just because I tend to keep my soaps relatively simple and some of the challenges looked too involved to me, but now I kind of wish I had tried them sooner. I think there is a quite wide spectrum in terms of skill of the participants, and no one is going to judge you if your soap is not perfect

 

[Serene]

Anytime you feel ready is a good time. When I first found the forum, I kept struggling to get the 50 posts since I mostly read. I still made the challenge soaps but did not enter or showed them around. They were hideous, and I cringe looking back. It was a new medium for me, so it took a bit. I credit the challenges here with helping me improve my soaping skills.

 

[bookreader451]

I vowed to enter each challenge this year with the good, the bad and the fugly. This month was fugly.

 

[Serene]

I vowed to enter each challenge this year with the good, the bad and the fugly. This month was fugly.

Nothing "fugly" about your soap. To tell you the truth it is a very ambitious design. You captured your main inspiration perfectly, from the colors to the sense of depth and flow of the design. You even added/eliminated a few elements that are not in the original inspiration picture making it different and giving it your personal touch. What dont you like about it? ( you dont have to answer, just merely curious. Please forgive me if I am overstepping.)

 

[shunt2011]

Just jump in. I haven’t competed due to time but hopefully one day I can participate. It’s a great way to try new techniques and you still have soap.

 

[bookreader451]

Nothing "fugly" about your soap. To tell you the truth it is a very ambitious design. You captured your main inspiration perfectly, from the colors to the sense of depth and flow of the design. You even added/eliminated a few elements that are not in the original inspiration picture making it different and giving it your personal touch. What dont you like about it? ( you dont have to answer, just merely curious. Please forgive me if I am overstepping.)

Thank you for the encouragement. I was disappointed after it was planed and there were voids in the color. Just not what I wanted.

 

[Serene]

Thank you for the encouragement. I was disappointed after it was planed and there were voids in the color. Just not what I wanted.

Easy fix. I think its great. Message me if you would like to try a few things.

 

[DeeAnna]

I enter a few challenges a year. I look at them as collaborations and skill stretching exercises -- they feel like more of "we're doing this together" kind of experience rather than a competition.

I also like that voting is restricted to participants only, so I know my effort is being rated by people who truly understand the work involved.

I've learned a lot and had fun. I feel a lot more confident about my design skills having entered a number of challenges. I've had a chance to experiment with what I like to do and what I don't.

I don't recommend making big batches -- I usually use 500 grams (16 ounce) of fats per batch. That's big enough to make a few nice bars to enjoy, but if a batch this size turns out badly, it's not a big loss.

 

[szaza]

@Noreen Moore you can join whenever you feel like it. These are very friendly competitions and the main goal is to improve your skills and have fun

 

[bookreader451]

I enter a few challenges a year. I look at them as collaborations and skill stretching exercises -- they feel like more of "we're doing this together" kind of experience rather than a competition.

That is how I look at it. I am only competing with myself. I love seeing what others do, color choices and what inspires them.

 

[xavalyss]

First I've heard of this. Probably will compete soon as I love inventing new recipes, and breaking the "soapimg" rules. Someone please point me to the rules. Thank you.

 

[xavalyss]

I thought I replied to this. Do posts have to be approved? Or did I just goof up? Never mind.