My first chisel was too big for my hand and my first stone is buried behind the training hall, where I hope it stays. Ten years later I carve replacement faces for buildings older than my country. This is the story of the decade between those two stones.
Years one to three: obedience
Apprenticeship taught my hands before it taught my opinions. Copy the leaf. Copy it again. Copy it until the master cannot tell yours from hers. I resented every repetition and I would not trade one of them — obedience built the accuracy that originality now spends.
Years four to ten: responsibility
The first commission with my name on the invoice changed everything. Suddenly stone had clients, deadlines and weather. The craft did not get smaller — it got heavier, in the best way. If you are in year two and doubting: keep copying the leaf. Your decade is coming.
