Goals and Projects to Come

 

Over the years I have collected so much fabric, tools and craft books that I am pretty sure it could be my life's goal to complete everything! I am not by any means trying to brag, if anything I am just a compulsive collector and I happen to have collected my fair share of stuff. While I have always been a collector, I have recently learned the valuable lesson on selective hoarding. With no filter or structure that comes from selective hoarding plus organizing, life and things can get out of control.

Right now I have just started getting my organization and planing under control since things are feeling cramped in the apartment and the best way to down-size is to look critically at everything I have saved and collected- Why the heck did I collect so many things?!?  
 
When I flashback to me in high school- I think that collecting every project and any thing craft related that is cool is my life goal.  I have room to acquire and preserve things in my suburban childhood bedroom. Plus, I was finishing some projects for the fabric store I worked for or my high school fashion class, so I thought I couldn't over collect.

Looking back, working in a fabric store started my first layer of collecting and procuring of anything that inspires me or I could imagine possibly needing for future projects.  Most of all however it sparked me impulsively saving things from being discarded and collecting things on sale or when my paths crossed in case I decide to make insert whatever project here.  It was really where my passion towards creative thinking in making and varying products that inspire me. Between the leftover scraps, rescuing discards, and spending all of my earnings there- I have acquired so much fabric! Plus add thrifting and yard sales- obsess much?!?

If I started today and put in constant work towards making every project I have gotten inspired by and collected and stored on my wish list I think it would take me to retirement! I have been wrestling with the call to finishing my projects while creating content on the blog and making items to sell at craft fairs and shows.  I enjoy all these things and I have been having fun, but I have felt like I am forcing myself some and I haven't figured out a good way to make everything work for myself.  Common problem I know for creative types, but when you finally get to do whatever you want and hit a wall- it is quite frustraiting!


So, what gets me unblocked??? Reading, organizing, and looking back over past projects and regrouping. Thankfully with this last bit of doing all of the above and then some I think I finally am bouncing back :)  

I have just really started into both of these books and they have been wonderful in helping me analyze and map out some values that are super important to my goals as an artist.  The Accidental Creative: How to be Brilliant at a Moment's Notice by Todd Henry is a must read for Today's busy creative type. I don't know how I haven't stumbled upon his site The Accidental Creative until reading this book, but it is awesome and has some podcast I can't wait to check out!

Anyway, WOW, suddenly this post has been going on forever and I haven't even gotten to the point all the way.  How the heck am I hoping to do this more??? 

Anyway, the collecting has been on my mind, the fact that I love constantly searching for fun projects to make, figuring our things that are a simple adjustment or a better way to do things, perpetuating things that are more Eco- friendly with conservation and thoughtfulness in mind. Plus, I really love fostering relationships with my friends where they inspire, encourage and motivate me while I make things for them and myself.

Therefore, I am promising myself I am going to work on all the projects that are sitting on my to-do list.  There will still be some fairs and Etsy  time scheduled in of course, but I would like to start now working on Christmas presents for everyone and try to make a vow to myself that we will not just be buying filler presents- I am going to make some awesome keepsakes. Instead of keeping personal projects separated from what I am creating to use as content on the blog (Pretty much relaying information about what we sell at craft fairs and shows) is holding me back. 

I hope you all can enjoy the projects I am looking forward to, and I hope to hear back from anyone that tries them out and enjoys them too :)


XOXO,
KC