My favorite teacher is Mr. Mistake.

So far in my years at school, teachers tell you to do things and they say why and you absorb it and tend to agree because it's logical and makes sense but maybe you don't actually completely understand. Because there is a huge difference between hearing and experiencing. This is what I find my Fourth and final year at ECU is all about.
For example.
 We have spent months perfecting our stories and really focusing on pre-production because it is the foundation for the rest of the work to come and it needs to be strong. Logical.  And yes I understood this, but I saw myself getting overly anxious about my workload and needed to begin animating and I see this urgency within my peers now. So I set my leica reel aside, chose a piece that I knew wouldn't be altered and began animating. Now I'm in this weird spot. I have gathered some momentum with my animating and it feels good and I'm really enjoying it, but I feel like I'm lost and can't continue because I didn't SOLIDIFY my story or fix my timing. Now my sound designers have a leica reel that isn't properly designed and I have to back track a few stages to rework somethings, and lose the momentum I have gained.
This isn't something I regret though. I can be particularly bullheaded at times, and I know that I needed this kind of mistake to teach me a solid lesson, and I really do want to gain a better perspective of my film before I continue on half blindly.
Is it better to listen to the people who know best and just stick to what they suggest, and maybe never run have into these types of problems, or is it best to fumble your way around it and learn for yourself even if it means making some critical mistakes?

D