Steampunk tarot (Moore) - 8 of pentacles

[shadowdancer]

Here we have a person who could be male or female, seated at a pench. They are busy working at creating the metalwork discs. As we allow our eyeline to be drawn down the card from top to bottom, we can see how they have progressed and their ability is increasing each time.

The first pentagram at the top is very plain - no adorning at all.
The second has the hint of some ornamental aditions around the pentagram.
The third takes this a little further.
And so on.
By the time we see the 5th disc down we can see some gemstones (red have been added).
This person is really focussed on improving on their own design with each creation.

Yet I can't help but have some questions pop up in my head:

**Where is the cut off point, where we cannot really add anything further of value? I am in the mind of a painter who knows when to stop. They know one more brush stroke, regardless of how tempting it is, will actually be counter productive.

** At what stage do you decide to try a new venture, using your new found skills to tackle a fresh new task?

** Is there a risk the novelty and enthusiasm wears off when the realisation of being repetitive sinks in?

** Who are you doing this work for? If it is personal pride and achievement, does that have more standing than if it is commissioned for someone else?

** Will the glasses on their head come into play? Have they decided to no longer focus on the finer detail? If so is that because they are now unconsciously competant?

I forget who came up with this (I am certainly not claiming it as my own, having been taught this during a works training session) but we go through phases of development:

Conscious incompetance (we know we are rubbish...lol)
Conscious competance (We are aware of what we are capable of)
Unconscious competance (It becomes second nature)
Unconsicous incompetance (We have become complacent and blase, unaware of the fact we have let standards slip).

Nice card, and by having the differently portrayed pentacles we can see how they have progressed.