Totally get that. Had a boss tell me my designs were "reliable" once. Reliable. Like a boring old car. Spent the whole weekend making the weirdest, loudest poster series I could think of. Put it on my site and it actually got me a call from a band looking for album art. Sometimes you just need to hear that bland feedback to remember you can be way more than just safe.

Tell me about it... that look cuts deep.

Yeah, those preset numbers are just a starting point. I read that even the same model can have small differences from the factory. You really do have to go by the coffee it makes, not the dial.

What's the best tool you ditched to get better results with your hands?

My first carbon seatpost still haunts me.