Making this flower pot was the first aesthetic circuit I have ever made and I found it fun. Before starting, I felt unsure and curious about the process. It was outside of my comfort zone but not overly intimidating. I followed the instructions pretty closely which was reassuring. This helped reinforce the different structural elements of a circuit, how to connect the positives and negatives, the function of the switch, etc. Having completed the project I have a much higher sense of self efficacy in simple circuits and I feel I could create any similar project using this circiut without the need for set by step instructions.

One moment that helped build my self efficacy and also involved mindset was a small hiccup before the final product. After I had finished all of the steps, the flower lit up the first few times I tried it and then stopped working. For a moment I felt frustrated and confused. I then adjusted my mindset to approach the problem with curiousity and a plan to trouble shoot. I theorized that the ends of the LED light were not taped tightly enough and were no longer touching the copper strip. Based on this I took the flower apart (shown in image 7), and wrapped more tape directly around the ends of the wires. When I tested it again after this, the LED worked once again. I put it all back together and had a functional final product. This process of trouble shooting increased my trust in myself to problem solve and created a sense of satisfaction upon resolution.

One parallel I see is in my relationship to dancing. I love to dance and move my body but have never taken formal classes. Last semester I stepped outside of my comfort zone and started going to very low stakes dance classes with a friend. The more comforable I have become, the more dancing spaces I have sought out and invited others to join me as well. This semester I am now taking a ballet class, something I never would have imagined myself doing. While this is still outside of my comfort zone, I have shown myself that I am capable of learning new dances and can laugh at my mistakes when I struggle. I am excited about the new experiences I am having as I build both humility and confidence.