How to Brainstorm better & get Your Next Project Started!

You’ve glowing in the satisfaction of wrapping up one project when you come to the uncomfortable, inevitable question.  “What next?” you ask yourself.  The infinite potential of the brainstorming phase can lead to total indecisiveness.  There’s so much to make out there that you end up doing nothing.  Your creativity comes to a halt as you mull over Pinterest and flip through magazines.  Here’s a few steps to help you select your next project and get creating again with minimal down time:

1. Be realistic about your time budget.
One of my favorite projects that I have ever made is an elaborate whitework embroidery picture.  I spent 9 months of my free time stitching away, sometimes just 10 minutes at a time.  I loved this project and wanted to complete it at all costs.  However, there are other moments where I have just an hour of time on my hands and I want instant results.  I grab my stapler and hot glue gun and create a completely different kind of project.  Pick what you have time for.  You want a completed project that you can put to good use now, not an incomplete project that hangs over your head for the next decade.

2. Make what you love.
Choose crafts that are an extension of your personal style and décor.  Unlike a cross-stitched elf Advent calendar that comes out just three weeks of the year, you will use what you make all the time if it works with your wardrobe and home.  Take note of your preferences.  Which colors, textures, styling, and motifs do you always gravitate toward?  Do you love turquoise, Modernism, or ikat prints?  Then, incorporate that into your crafting. 

3. Curate what inspires you.
If an article, photo, video, or website captures your imagination or teaches you a new technique, save it for your future reference.  Bookmark it, pin it, scan it, or copy it.  Create a file for inspiration, archiving only the best of the best.  Next time around, you can jump start the creative process using this information. 

4. Finish what you’ve started.
If you’re like me, you have a basket of projects that are almost finished.  Maybe you need supplies to wrap up what you’ve been working on or to get something professionally framed.  Get what you’re missing and take the last few steps to turn that incomplete craft into a success you’re proud of.