How to Finish a Project
One of the main issues I face as an artist working a 9-5 job is finding the time to complete my personal art projects. As an artist, I or You should take the time to continue an art practice not only to improve in skills but also to develop your creativity. There have been many times during a project, I get bombarded with so many other possible concepts that are the result of acting on my initial thought. But, with so many ideas, it gets hard to finish one project before starting another.
Starting a project is easy enough; a spark of creativity occurs and I have a hazy vision of what I want to create. The first couple of days after the birth of that idea, I busily work on my task progress bar. Then I get to a certain height in the project and it is left unfinished collecting dust on my desk. My motivation often fizzles and other ideas and events come into my view and that project take a backseat. Today, I have several projects in my studio that are a day or two away from completion but because I don’t want to lose the pace I have with another project it sits there waiting to be finished. Because of this I am on a journey to find the practical tools that can help me get from A-Z in finishing a project.
Here is a brief list of ideas:
Breakdown the Project: Make a list of all the steps it would take to finish a project and schedule them accordingly on a calendar of your choice. I use google calendar.
Commit to Finishing: Set a goal to finish the project by marking a due date. Use that date to set up reminders on your schedule that act as a check-ins for the project.
Niche Down: Sometimes the project you are tackling is too ambitious and requires not only a dedication of time but the need to learn and develop new skills. Try to start small as it is easier to tackle bigger projects in stages. For example, If you hope to make a fashion start by making the designs first. Eventually each completed task allows you to build on the first task and so on.
Use What You Already Have: In some cases you think that a new tool is necessary to get the look that you are going for. I have a habit of seeing all the supplies I would need for a new project, spending hours on Amazon and spending my monthly resources on them only for the tool to sit in my drawer collecting dust as I have moved on to another project. It is better time management and money wise to start with what you already have. In some cases it also allows for creative growth in being restricted.
You Don’t Have to be Perfect: Some of us have this little voice in the back of our minds telling us we are not ready yet. That we have to get to a certain level before we can show the world our work. There have been so many times I have limited myself because I thought my work wasn’t good enough. In a recent conversation with a friend I discovered that there are so many people who are getting ahead right now and don’t have the same talent as you or I. So many people make careers on confidence alone and by just starting and having confidence that your own will speak for itself that there will always be someone out there that isn’t related to you that will like your work is a comforting feeling. So Just do it!
