When You Want To Create All The Things

Do you feel like Dug from Disney's Up every time a new project idea trickles into your brain?

First, you are working little by little on a project. But then, inspiration hits for something completely unrelated. You drop what you're doing, head to your local crafts store or Amazon, and stock up on everything for this new pursuit!

I can relate. My head often spins around with ideas of fabulous creations I want to pursue. Between my performing arts pursuits, fun fabrics that I fall in love with, and the desire to experiment with creating DIY organizing tools, it's hard not to keep myself from accumulating more materials for the pursuits I hope to partake in someday.

So how does one prevent over-accumulating supplies for creative pursuits?

Fight Buying Impulsively

When you are at a store and see a shiny new object you want to take home, a common piece of advice is to leave the item, and if you still want it after a week or a month, go back and get it.

We can take this logic and apply it to new project ideas. When the inspiration for a new idea hits, write that idea down! If the concept is based on materials you saw at the store, take a photo. Find a way to record what inspires you about this project. You can write it in a journal or use a tool like Evernote to pull in information from the web and input photos and your own note.

If you're still thinking about this project in a week or a month, it's worth pursuing!

The beauty of recording your ideas is that if the idea does fade away, you still have your thoughts recorded for the future when you have room in your budget and schedule.

Make Time for Creating

Have you accumulated a pile of project materials but have yet to start on the actual project? This can often happen when juggling work, chores, get-togethers, and family obligations. You should schedule your creative time. Think of this as a form of self-care. Pursuing something that brings you joy is good for your soul. If you find it challenging to stick with your scheduled creating time, bring in a friend who enjoys similar creative pursuits. You are less likely to cancel on a friend than you are an appointment with yourself. If someone to team up with isn't available, try a virtual co-working app like Focusmate to pair you with someone to be a body double.

Be Reinspired By What You Have

Ideas come and go and come again. When inspired, look through your materials, supplies, and notes. You can reuse something you bought for another uncompleted project. Plus, if you reuse items you already have, that creates more room for future supplies.

Decluttering is always seen as getting rid of what you have. That can feel like a major bummer. But what if you looked at it as using up what you have? Look through the materials you collected and make the decision to use them in a project. You will create room AND enjoy the supplies you had previously found and then stored away.

Limit the Number of Ongoing Projects

It may mean building up your self-discipline muscles, but limiting your ongoing projects before starting new projects will help ensure the completion of your creative pursuits. You are not limited to one at a time, but placing a cap on your projects keeps you from buying more supplies before you are ready to use them. Plus, completing a project brings a sense of excitement for enjoying the final product and enabling yourself to take on another pursuit.

If you avoid one of your current projects, it is time to reflect on whether it still inspires you. A creative pursuit may no longer be worth working on for you. If that's the case, it's ok to trade that project out for another. The supplies for that old project can be used for a future project. Our creative pursuits are meant to bring us joy, so make sure you prioritize projects that bring you a sense of accomplishment and satisfaction.

Arts, crafts, and other hobbies bring our lives joy and meaning. But it's hard not to feel pulled in many different directions when you want to create. Setting limits for ourselves enhances our creativity as we see how we can manipulate our given parameters.

What are you going to create?