When Obstacles Become Stepping Stones: Finding Strength in the Struggle

It's Wednesday morning in LA, just after 9 AM, and I'm sitting at my favorite window seat in the campus coffee shop, watching the September sunshine create patterns on my sketchbook. I've been here since 8:30, trying to work through a major setback with my collection that hit yesterday afternoon.

So here's what happened: I found out that the sustainable fabric supplier I've been counting on for my final collection is discontinuing the exact material I designed everything around. My first reaction? Complete panic, obviously. I literally felt my stomach drop when I read the email.

But then something interesting happened – that little space I wrote about on Monday? It showed up again. Instead of immediately texting everyone in a full meltdown mode (which, let's be honest, was still tempting), I actually sat with the problem for a minute.

And in that pause, I remembered something Professor Rivera said last semester about constraints being "the mother of innovation." At the time, I thought it was just one of those inspirational quotes professors keep in their back pocket. But sitting there with my problem, I started wondering if this obstacle might actually push my designs somewhere new.

I spent the evening researching alternative materials and ended up discovering this amazing new fabric made from regenerated ocean plastic that has an even better drape than my original choice. It's slightly more expensive (RIP my coffee budget for the next month 😭), but it actually aligns better with the sustainability story I want my collection to tell.

What's wild is that I'm noticing a pattern in my own growth. Just a few days ago I was writing about finding my rhythm and creating space between reactions, and now here I am, literally turning an obstacle into an opportunity. Not perfectly – I definitely still had a minor meltdown to Emma over ice cream last night – but differently than I would have even a month ago.

It's making me realize that maybe obstacles aren't just things to overcome; they're actually essential ingredients in becoming who we're meant to be. Like, would I have discovered this amazing new material if everything had gone according to plan? Probably not.

I'm starting to see that all these challenges – from relationship complications to design setbacks to schedule disruptions – aren't just annoying interruptions in my life. They're actually shaping me, forcing me to develop muscles I wouldn't otherwise build.

The Mandy who walked into fashion school two years ago would be shocked to see me calmly sipping my latte and sketching new designs 24 hours after a major collection crisis. But that's the thing about evolution – it happens in these small moments of choice when we're faced with obstacles.

Anyway, I've got class in thirty minutes and a completely redesigned collection to figure out. Here's to Wednesday wisdom and finding strength in the struggle.