Is there anything quite like the excitement of beginning a new project? Of being inspired, starting fresh, and diving in?
Then, there’s the tangible, visible progress of each project that greases the wheel and keeps us going!
Sometimes there’s backtracking that has to be endured like ripping stitches, erasing lines, replacing collage pieces, redesigning a journal spread that just doesn’t quite fit, or starting over entirely from scratch.
Bummers, yes. And sometimes just a part of the creative process.
But when it all works out and a work in progress (WIP) is completed, the joy and pride that bubble to the surface are pure magic and worth every forward and backward step.
Often, in our society and in the online world, we only get to see the results of someone’s efforts. Maybe we’re shown the beginning and we’re always shown the end, but we’re rarely shown the middle.
A few years ago I shared the progress on a Temperature Blanket I crocheted on my personal Instagram account and everyone loved it. By design, it took all year, and in the end so many friends and family members were invested in its outcome! I still have people ask me about it 🙂
The middle of any project may not be sexy, but it’s real, and that’s where the work and the magic happen. And so, in the spirit of creation in all of its chapters, I thought I’d start sharing my WIPs here with a threefold intention:
- accountability to myself as I begin each project
- sharing each stage of a project (as relevant) and
- celebrating each completion
Now, I have a lot of crafting hobbies and I’m definitely a seasonal crafter (focused during the coldest months while the land sleeps) so I might share any number of creative endeavors like:
- journal spreads
- crochet projects
- embroidery (as I learn for the first time!)
- painting/coloring
alongside anything else that might strike my fancy.
Cool?
Cool.
And maybe… just maybe, you’ll be inspired to join in from time to time and share what you’re working on, too. Us creatives have to stick together, no?
Excellent!
Now, if I could just decide on my next project…
Onward,
Melissa
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Oh, yes! The process is important, too.
So important! I’m glad we’re on the same page 🙂
The process is everything. Thank you for the food for thoughts. Great post!
Thank you, Maria! I’m excited to share the journey with you!
I love your perspective on this! Especially when you track the progress and can look back on it.. Love, love love this idea. I have a project that is coincidentally related to project work. A certification I’ve put on the back burner that I really NEED to resurrect. Thank you for this inspiration.
Hi Kathleen! Oh, I’m so happy to know this post has been an inspiration to resurrect the work towards your certification! Sometimes we just need a tiny spark to light us up again 🙂 I look forward to learning more!
I’m currently considering new projects. I love September for pulling that creative energy out of me. At the moment, I have an overwhelming number of ideas and I’m torn between doing all the things and being more selective so that some of them have satisfying outcomes.
Oh, I understand the pull and being torn by too many ideas. I hope one or two float to the surface to kick your cooler months off and you enjoy every moment!