500 years of age just gone because you were in a hurry, classic. Reminds me of @harris.abby and the fingerprint fiasco, where rushing made more work. Sometimes going slow is actually the fast way to do it right.

What was the biggest hurdle switching to freehand?

Doesn't it seem like our bodies always try to tell us something before it gets bad? I've seen this so many times where a small ache or click gets ignored until it turns into a real problem. That wrist click from driving screws is probably your body saying to take a break or change how you're working. Like when you get a stiff neck from looking at your phone too long, and next thing you know, you can't turn your head. Paying attention to those little signals can save you a lot of pain later on. It's crazy how we often push through until something gives out, but listening early makes all the difference!

Yeah I read that same old machinist rule somewhere, something like 'the tool is the last thing to blame.' It's so easy to get focused on feed rates and cutter geometry when the real problem is just the part moving a tiny bit. You spend all this money on fancy coated end mills but skip checking the basic clamp pressure, you know? Makes you wonder how many times we've all done that exact same thing.

Ugh, that pressure to make everything look nice is so real. My old sketchbook from high school is full of awful, rushed drawings, but I can flip to any page and remember exactly what I was working through that day. Now when I try to keep a "proper" sketchbook, I waste so much time stressing about making the first mark perfect that I never draw anything at all. It totally kills the actual doing of the thing, just like your journal. That messy proof that you lived your life is way better than a pretty, empty book.