If I have a bunch of decisions, I use a bracket system, because it's easier for me to choose between two options than a whole bunch. Randomly pick two ideas, choose one of them. Pick another two, choose one of them. Put the ones that were chosen back into the pool, grab two, pick one again. Repeat as necessary.
Well, I'm a reader and a knitter. For both activities, I have one rule: I can start up to 3 projects and 3 books at a time, and then, I have to keep it at 3. So when one is done, I can start another one. For all the other books and knits I NEED to do, I, too, keep notebooks where I list them. It works.
I make list, after list then a random morning or often late night when I can't sleep..my brain locks in and I become obsessed with 1 idea in particular.. and the work begins.
"I think we're all heart people at heart" This is truth. I do a bit of both, cause I buy fabric that I love, then need to find a pattern for it when I'm ready to make something. So I will assess what I have and what I want to make, then narrow it down and then let my heart make the actual final decision haha.
As an ADHDer, this struggle is very real! I simply start a lot of projects and don't finish them. The joy is in the choosing and preparing and beginning for me, and I've learned to accept that about myself.
What makes it a bit easier for me is I pick an item I need, then I pick and item I want. By alternating between the two, I can make decisions a little quicker. Sometimes I'll just grab a cut of fabric and look for a pattern that will use up as much of the material as possible. So I guess I kind of make a game out of it.
My solution to this problem. Have an organised project journal. Each page(s) has its own research, materials needed etc etc for each project. Or just vague ramblings about why you feel inspired to do the thing. Can put it in a binder to make it easier to rearrange and organise. So when your board or can't think of what to make you can dip into that previous inspiration. You can also write about and resolve blockers by definirinng what it is you need to progress. If it's practice or skill then that's the perfect justification for another smallet project
I break down my ultimate dreams in phases. It's a lot easier to deal with having a thousand ideas if you can use some or most of those ideas as ways to practice for other bigger ideas. Structured embroidered velvet ballgown is a lot, and if I also want a skirt from similar fabric I can learn to work with the fabric, and if I want a shirt in that style I can find out if it's actually flattering before investing. It calms the perfectionist brain to have practice and calms the anxiety brain to make useful things that minimize waste. Remember to save patterns and note lessons. I've learned to make feathers, and now, I can do wings.
A bad decision is better than no decision at all. You can always switch if you really aren't feeling it and that knowledge will help you make a better decision next time! Sewing isn't meant to be torture.
I always have a million and one ideas. For me it's writing. Sometimes art, but usually writing. I always tell myself I'm not going to start another new one. And it's always when I spend days and days unable to get it out of my head, that I will actually sit down and start planning it. Sometimes they still don't happen, but in my experience, if you can't stop thinking about a creative project, it's probably a good sign that it's one you should pick and would love and would be able to keep up with the entire time it takes to complete
Hello! I have had the same issue in the past. How I have begun is to be consistent and keep on writing no matter how many grammatical errors there are. I am a perfectionist, so it is quite difficult to tell myself "just let go and keep on writing. All you need is one thousand words a week" And if I go through over the one thousand word mark it is finished sooner. The worst part is writer's block. After my grandfather's passing, I had a difficult time finishing up a writing project. I dropped it and began a new one. That one was done within a year. It was a learning lesson and a moment of grievance. But it felt good!
Oh, Cathy thank you!! This happens to me every time--every time!--that I enter my studio: I panic, I pace, I freeze, I fluster, then I begin 6 things and finish... maybe one of them. And so I can often grow discouraged. But when you started ticking off the ways we can 'park' our ideas I got the tingles! A wonderful solution! This resonated with me so much, and I've already grabbed a journal and have jotted down idea after idea: They are like little Christmas packages now--filled with delight, instead of sticky messes on my worktop waiting to fluster me. xoxo
Appreciated your comment. I struggle with same. My panic workaround: Alleviated when direct working area is stripped bare. Minimal equip only. While of course, not the intentended meaning of the original comment, it just happened to be a great description of the ADHD ongoing experience of project management 🙄. A never ending internal struggle. Either way, keep on sewing!
I made the decision to make a certain quilt pattern. Bought pattern and fabric and worked to make things go together. It wasn't until I realized, after 1 1/2 months of struggle, that I wasn't making the quilt to keep, but to give away, that things started to flow. And it really was like turning on a light in a dark room. As soon as i thought about the person I would give it to, the pieces went together like a dream.
That's really sweet of you! I do the same thing, when there is an event or a birthday coming up, let's say in three or six months. I begin with a three-way idea, 1) Try These 2) Maybe These as a Hobby 3) No, maybe, nope. And buy the items I need and remember that the projects I have on the side are to gift those go first, then those as a hobby come second because I know I will get distracted with side projects. So, I tell myself the hobby or gift project and how long I have until xxxx date. I take it from there. 🎁
I didn't plan it, but I accidentally found myself creating more of my ideas in the available time, in a really fun way. The year before the pandemic, I was making centerpieces for our English Country Dance ball. I wanted to be able to auction them off to create a fund for future ball decor so I made dancing couples wearing costumes inspired by each of the dances, which were choreographed between the late 1500s and modern time. They were made from wire, fabric and paperclay, and were animals rather than people because , honestly, frogs, rabbits, ducks, dragons and other magical creatures are more fun to sculpt than human faces. Animals aside, I got to lightly research dress from the various eras represented on the ball programme, and then recreate it affordably, on characters under 16 inches tall. This didn't require corsetry, of course, and it wasn't perfectly HA, but it was fun to make and the ball attendees were delighted. They were so well received that I've continued to make these figures to sell from my studio. I don't necessarily have a desire to own (or even wear) every ballgown I dream up, and I would never have the time for anything else if I tried to make even a small number of my ideas. so this gives me a way to get around FOMO.
I love this. You get all the fun of the experiment and design without all the time-sink of making it life sized. Maybe I should try making doll clothes? 🤔 😄
One of my quick tricks for making the full list into a "short list" is the mantra "maybe means no." Looking at a long list, there's always some that are "definitely not right now" and some that are "I wanna do this right this instant." And then there are those that are "ooh, this is a cool idea, maybe this will work." When there's already a list of instant yes, maybe means no.
Great video, thank you - I let the head decide, buy all I need, completely lose any motivation for that project, then do whatever comes up with what is lying around elsewhere in my place - I know this is what will happen, and I am totally fine with it (apart from having a lot of supplies tucked away all the time) It works! Know yourself, (your heart) you got it
honestly this really applies to me through buying plants for gardening which is most of what i do. aka trying to be money-conscious whilst literally wanting hundreds of plants
Yes I'm struggling so much. I tell myself to shut up all the time, because I don't need even more ideas to choose from. My current decisions are based on deadline and when I need them. So, event specific.
I find the best way to make a decision when I’m agonizing over a few options, is to just make a decision. Just stop thinking about it, pick one and say out-loud, ok, this is what I’m doing. Even tell other people you have picked it. One of two things will happen, either you will be happy and start working on it, or you will have almost immediate regret. “Oh I wish I had picked the other one.” Then you have your answer, and you can go back to that one that you wish you had picked.
@@MNkno Whether they are OK with it or not, or whether it is completed or not does not mater. The purpose of telling someone is not for permission or their approval, it is to aid oneself in the decision making. By verbally saying outloud the choice, it registers differently in ones brain than if you just think it. It is not looking for an opinion, it is a statement, whether or not someone agrees is not the point if the exercise.
I love/hate Pinterest…. It’s great for keeping your ideas, but also leads you into new ideas. There’s too much to pick from ❤ I have 3 project books, one for the garden, one for my knitting, and one for sewing projects. Every time I get a new idea, I’ll enter it to the project book, and add a deadline for the project. This can be a huge thing for some, but for me this gives me time to “get to know” the idea, and then decide if I want to do it or discard the project. It’s like a to-do list, but you get to decide if the project is worth the time, and money 🧵🪡
This makes me feel so nice and optimistic - like a treasure collector looking at my lovely ideas 🥰 I will say, one things I’ve done with my to-do list that could perhaps also be used here - just roll some dice! Either you’ll be okay with the result, or you’ll quickly realize “okay NOT that one” and narrow your list down lol
Spent an hour last night trying to decide on a which yarn of several I already have to make a hat from. Then realised I can just make more than one hat!
I was having this problem with my writing until I realized the story I really wanted to make would benefit if I built up to it with a set of other stories. Then I got excited about the process and could write the others under the umbrella of a writing exercise lol 😅
This! The best way to get better at something is doing it, and the best way of doing something is to have fun when you do it. I've written so much "for fun" that taught me so much, and it's been the same for drawing/painting. It probably applies to all creative endeavours. Do the thing that's most fun, if it didn't turn out well, then it's just practice for the future. A step on the path.
I never decide which one comes first. I just start them. Right now I am working on 6 projects. When I feel like knitting, I knit. Bobbin lace, sewing, crocheting, when I feel like it, I do it. Eventually they get finished and I start the next. This way I dont have to decide, I love it.
As a hobbyist model-maker, I too have way more ideas and tempting projects than can be built in a lifetime. I have a box of plans, only few of which will ever be realized, But at some point I realized that studying these plans, spinning ideas in my head and planning out construction details IS a very important part of the hobby. Firstly, because I learn things and it inspires me to incorporate construction methods and details into other projects, secondly, because it is a fun thing to do. Sometimes projects rest for quite some time until a connection between two or more dots suddenly appears (often when I actually should go to bed).
I very much enjoy your comment. I have a similar hobby. Most times I get inspired after reading a fantasy book or a non-fiction book on almost anything. Sometimes I don't know where to begin, then the full-time and part-time jobs come into play and after months of being away from said project. It is like an unfinished and yet realized idea, which is already on paper. After six years I finally finished a 2D model design and a friend told me it looked awesome and that I should add it to the Minecraft competition. I made some modifications and entered it. It won second place. 😅 There should be more small competitions in communities where hobbyists like yourself can participate and get inspired by others. I understand it's just a hobby, but it is quite nice when you get to share it with someone like-minded who appreciates the little details.
This isn't really related to the topic here but just wanted to say I am so happy with the pace of your channel. It seems like other channels make an entire 1700s court gown in a week and I've been making the same pair of stays for five months now. I know they're full-time mostly and I am not but it's a little absurd. It's nice to see you take time with things and really get into the details: they're so interesting! Anyway my strategy here has been to do two projects at once so I'm never bored of both (different types of projects so currently a sewing-heavy one and an embroidery-heavy one) and try to have at least one with lots of handsewing to do at a time and then just make a list of things I want to make and how soon I'd like to make them. Sometimes that's affected by fabric availability, sometimes by the fact that I am unwilling to work with boiled wool when it's summer. Othertimes it's just a "I'd like to do this someday but not for a while yet" and then I have something fun to look forward to.
I second the pacing! I'm such a slow crafter and I get inpatient and discouraged watching all my amazing TH-camrs churn out projects so fast. Your channel always reminds me that there's value to the process as well as the destination.
I struggled with this too, especially because every new idea is just so exciting and then you have 10 unfinished projects, but then one day I discovered the secret that would forever change my decision making process, the all mighty random numbers generator. There are no bad projects, so you might just as well cut the decision making completely, keep your ideas in a spreadsheet and hope for the best
I confess I smiled while you were talking about the heart/head decision process. I've discovered myself several times carefully and logically assessing which project I should turn to next, make the decision but then when I get into the work room, wind up picking the one I actually WANT to do, regardless of intent. So yes, the heart I too believe is strong in this one.
Good video. In ancient Hebrew, (Lev, or Leb, Levab, Lebab) the word for head and heart were used interchangably, it was a concept that is the melding of both what we call head and heart. I was taught that fact 35 years ago, and Ive used that as my guiding principal. Its never failed me. I try to make emotional decisions with my head, even if I dont like it, and know what - the heart follows suit. Then i make head decisions with my heart. The one time in my life this failed me, because I refused to folllow the head, and went only with my heart, it lead to aweful heartache and cost me and us thousands and thousands of dollars. I did justify it again and again, and I knew deep down it wasnt going to work, but it was a life dream, and one almost in reach. So, I tried desperately, and got burnt. However it turned out to be good, and I got something I didnt realise I wanted more - and it just came to me, without me asking.
For me its whatever I pick up first. That way its cleanly whatever my eye is drawn to. If I can't decide even then, I walk away for a bit and do something else like clean the kitchen. That way I feel productive even if it isn't in the way I wanted.
Oh, I've got a huge dilemma right now. I am tearing apart between two project ideas, that I love equally and dearly. The first one is a beautiful skirt with multiple embroidered changeable layers and the second one is the embroidered ethnic Ukrainian chemise (vyshyvanka). I am losing hope and sanity trying to decide which one will make a better entry in the FR competition😅 but after watching this video I suddenly understood that I just want the chemise to be in my life😊 thank you for bringing some peace to my soul😄
I've got pen and paper in each and every room just so I can write things down or make a drawing so I won't forget. It all get put in a box for safe storage. Before I had to track down a pen and paper and kept forgetting great ideas. ❤️
I totally agree with your thoughts and analyses! I have another tool to add which would probably come between the head and the heart phases: the creative power of limits and constraints. All too often we see limits and constraints (be they time, money, skill set...) as negative but just imagine how much harder it would be too make these kinds of decisions if you had infinite time, money, ressources etc... where on earth would you start? Exploring limits and bounderies, where they are , how much they can be stretched, in what ways can they be overcome and which ways they can be used to your advantage is, for me, a good foundation to start going into the heart phase without the worry about: spending too much on fabric or ressources that I then don't dare cut into for fear of making a mistake and wasting it (even after mock-ups), starting a project but finding it too time or energy consuming to carry through, thus creating a backlog of UFO's... I'm sure you all get the picture! My point: limits and boundaries can be reasuring and working within them and overcoming them is freeing! Hope this may be of some help to someone, especially if you are on a low budget and/or dealing with an energy limiting chronic illness or any other condition which is perceived as a limit.
I love your comment! There are alot of myths regarding so called "artistic freedom". Freedom is always referred to as the ideal, when in fact it can be paralyzing the same way a blank sheet of paper can trigger writer's block. Limitations are in fact an artists best friend. Unlimited possibilities, unlimited funds etc don't do artists any favors. Limitations can be as simple as painting a canvas, not the 4 walls of the studio, floor and ceiling and your dog. The unlimited is crazy or can make you crazy, not necessarily in a productive way. And chosing that one canvas will immediately direct the work in some way due to the size and format of it. Limitations can be large and small, general or very specific. It's a framework from which you can make more descisions that are part of the commenced creative process. It gets you engaged in the step of here and now and not carried away with the entire project and all its steps and anticipations and problems which is both daunting and never matches reality, because reality is full of surprizes and ideas birthing new ones. This is why method and routine are so important. Much more than inspiration which comes and goes. Creating a format for practice, because any art or craft is a practice. Your practice and routine also provides a framework. Limitation that inevitably leads to possibility. Thinking too much alone doesn't further creative practices. It's a falsarium a hypothetical abstraction of something that depends on tangible practice. Especially for people who are creative because they need to occupy their hands and focus their mind on the craft at hand, it doesn't make sense to idealize total freedom and spend too much time in the world of ideas without doing. It's self deceptive and a mind fck, a trap and often leads to either focusing on what you don't have or can, or creates more anxiety than creative energy, or simply sets you up for disappointment (in yourself, or a course or whatever, the weather even). I enjoyed reading your comment, and this video. It's an important topic worth discussing.
@@gnarbeljo8980 i enjoyed your comment on anxiety in the art studio, guess i will search for groups or podcasts on the topic of adhd issu3s in the art studio.
I'm watching you on TH-cam as we speak because I'm procrastinating on decided which project to start today! The universe is obviously telling me that it's time to turn off my phone and make use of your excellent advice.
For organizing ideas and prioritizing which ones to take on, I can definitely recommend a book to read. “Making Ideas Happen” by Scott Belsky, it comes from the perspective of business but business from a creative person’s headspace. It opened up my mind to how to organize ideas to free up my head and anxiety and then bring them to fruition. This is a good book to get as a next step after watching this video!
@@voirworks6002 wow I am so happy! If you find it at all useful that would be amazing to me. It was a book I read in college but it did change how I process ideas and how I deal with the battle with having too many ideas and not enough time. I loved reading it.
I've read a couple of articles saying that it's true people justify their decisions after having made the decision. This was most evident when someone had to make a split second decision, but it also applies to other decisions.
nice to see the flipping a coin/asking someone and seeing if you like the outcome method expressed .... something I do a lot .. down to figuring out where to sit in a restaurant .. though that can get a bit awkward when asking someone to pick and then you do the exact opposite
I try having 2 or 3 projects happening at the same time (one for turning off the brain, one that's very whimsical and fun and one bigger project). I usually just choose one that I'll use a LOT or one that I can laugh every time I look at it
Me too and after hearing what Cathy’s saying, decisions in our case should probably come at the shopping for supplies stage. I don’t know about you but buying what I don’t really need for my current project comes from making up the cost of my basket to get free shipping and I struggle with self control when I see all the pretty things!
I get started, almost obsessed, with an idea, but if I get stuck doing it, (usually a fitting problem, or not quite enough fabric,) I set it aside, "just for now." Just for now is a famous phrase in my home because of all the unfinished projects scattered about. A few days ago, I came upon a large stash of stagnant projects, way more than I thought. I'm too stubborn and too thrifty to throw them out, yet I can't move forward either. I'm guessing I'm not alone.
My most challenging issue has been for the contest this year. Determined to use stash at hand (but knew lining would be needed) the design went through about 7 iterations all based on Worth creations, including the final choice. It was however, from the later period of Worth and is from about 1912 and is a day suit. More bonkers the decision process there could not have been because while one of the ball gowns was my dream, spending that much time on a gown I would end up never really getting any real use from seemed silly.
That desire to get real use out of the garments we spend so much time and effort creating is SO resonant!! A fantasy ball gown that never gets worn can mean tolerating our day-to-day wardrobe of things that were a compromise of availablity and needed function over wearing something that could give us joy simply by being what we were wearing that day. Best wishes for your Worth day suit project!
I usually have a million Pinterest images downloaded onto my gadgets and use those images to create a completely new idea by Frankensteining different elements I like such as trimming placement or silhouette and necklines and sleeves and trains into one hybrid idea. But sometimes a fashion plate or photograph is just perfect that I just redraw it in my iPad and I just write down all the materials in a notebook to remind myself of what I need.
Thank you, Cathy! I will say it's taken me so long to realize this. I'm a writer so I'm constantly writing things down. My problem is that, in my head, are the people that had told me in my teens & 20s that said "You can't succeed at that" which gave me a fear of rejection. Finally, last year, I allowed myself to just do. I've published it to an online site and just said to myself "Maybe no one will love this as much as I do, but that's okay." I published my first chapters... practically hyperventilating... and then waited to see if anyone would read it... anyone would comment. I'll be honest, it wasn't a ton, but every time someone sent a lovely comment or a question, it was like the best gift ever. I was even looking for negative comments that might make my writing better. What was the best was just finishing my project... and getting out of my head. I love listening to you about your process. While I may not sew, your thoughts on just being creative is great and thought provoking. Thank you for being vulnerable for those of us watching your videos. You're TERRIFIC!
LOL! I make journals during winter time. I only sew flannel nightgowns during that time. Once spring comes, I start writing in those journals for flowers, veggies and planning this years renn fair dress. I go by my heart then decide what I have the ability to sew. The fair runs in september. Then I go back to making next years journals.
Most of the time I pick the project what makes mostly fun for this moment ( because as long it makes fun it makes sense;-), but sometimes I pick the one that is needed to, for example mending a piece I really want to wear soon.
In the beginning of this year I wrote all my ideas on projects, in the end I've chosen the one that wasn't in the list at all, I made it and was happy...
My dilemma is that I overthink the materials, trying to pick THE right fabrics, etc based on a vague idea of how I want the item to look - but in my head, it MUST be exact. It was making me so anxious that I often ended up doing nothing at all, which caused me more stress.... I finally realized that I cannot possibly know every detail of the final look before I even begin. It just isn't possible. So I am trying to remember this and just go with the flow. I have to stop letting perfectionism hold me back from doing the thing. An impov quilt project that is designed to highlight this exact dilemma was hugely helpful. It was a kaleidoscope quilt with no possible way to predict the final look until you put it all together. It was a great learning tool. I need frequent reminders to not slip back but it was very valuable.
So much truth in this. I'm someone who has many hobbies--from embroidery to jewelry making, sewing to bookbinding, basket weaving to culinary arts. I have a universe filled with ideas. I choose from each category--calculate time to finish project with use of one hour per session.. I allow myself three projects per week+ as needed w/1hr per day of work on each. That way I don't get bored or discouraged with any project and can gather materials as needed along the way. It works for me. I have way too many ideas nad far too many areas of interest. This is the only way I've found for me to get any of them done. Oh, and did I mention that I'm also a writer? :D
Was going to write halfway through the video, I think I'm more of a head person, wish I was a heart person. And as I open comments Cathy flipped the script. Crafty Cathy, crafty.
I agree with your statement that we desire from the heart first. I'm largely a left-brain thinker, but what gets my gears spinning in the first place is the desire for something: "oh, I would really like to (buy)(do)(see) that". Then my left-brain takes over and assesses my current reality with respect to time, money, and so on. I have an ideas book for all kinds of things, not just sewing, and the desire for them doesn't go away because my assessment says they're not possible right now. I do pencil in a priority when I write them down. When later I review the ideas my heart has sometimes changed a bit, so I'll change the priority. For me, the analysis and planning is part of the fun.
I give myself rewards. I'll do two or three projects that I need to get done then reward myself by doing a project I want to get done. for me it's a great Motivator
This is so me at the moment. I have started a crochet project, a sewing project and a beading project, none of which has gone quite right. They are now sitting neatly in their project boxes and bags, waiting for me to decide whether to dismantle them and start again or to dismantle them and try something different…
Well ACTUALLY, you have picked my brain as I have been doing the most stunningly brilliant job of overthinking what I should post next on my channel. 🙄🤦🏻♀️🤦🏻♀️It's not for want of ideas, but rather too many. I have the blank sketchbook terror of just making the mark so I can start filling the sketchbook, so to speak. I'm going to rewatch this video again.... and again, if need be, until I break free from the matrix of indecision. Thank you❤❤❤
This video is perfect timing! I was just let go from my one-year term position and I have 3 months off until the next term starts. This job kicked my butt and I wasn't able to create as I went home every night exhausted so now I have all these ideas for paintings and artwork that have been patiently waiting so where do I start?! My idea is to go with the quicker/easier projects first, which will also be like warming up again as I'm out of practice, then do the more detailed paintings after. I'm very excited to get at it!
I did love that my daughter posted this. I realized the methodology of both head and heart in deciding which of many choices I had to design a future bnb room. I designed the rooms in a graphics program where it is easy to make changes using the usual design principles and elements, then looked at them over and over for weeks. One theme and one design did just what she said: gave me joy! Then it all came together!
I have been putting off a project for weeks, that I know will only take 20 minutes.... because, come on, it's only 20 minutes. Yet I dawdled until this morning, it honestly took longer to set up my sewing machine than it did to cut out and pin the project (a cover for a dog bed - basically sewing 2 rectangles together). I always have several projects on the go, but the ones that take little time are the ones I stall on doing. To combat this, I give myself one day a week to knock out a handful of the small projects. Doing this gives me more time to concentrate on the larger projects without fussing over the smaller ones (example - working on a quilt / mending or replacing buttons), while also giving me a break from the larger project on my "off" day. I also work best with a deadline, without one I can lollygag on a project for years (started an afghan for my son when he was 16 - he turns 30 next birthday and is still on me to finish it LOL).
I love how you bridge business- and creative-speak. This video twigged so much of what I do day-to-day and put in context as to how I approach the not-work / creative side of my life and vice versa! And how it gives permission to bring that business approach into the creative and the creative approach into the business.... yay permission! And yes...heart drives head, which then helps narrow the choices down for the final selection by the heart....
Hey Cathy, I loved your video today, it really helped with all these sewing ideas I had. I also wanted to share a sewing dilemma I had. Years ago I fell in love with a gown worn by Bette Davis in the film "The private lives of Elizabeth and Essex " the gown in question was this beautiful metallic floral pink satin looking material with an iridescent effect over the most beautiful magenta raspberry colored velvet. And that entrance scene with the dress in full length I nearly ruined the player set because I kept rewinding to that moment because that gown stole my heart. Now came to recreating it. I found the perfect velvet but had to improvise on the pink half. I couldn't find anything similar to that fabric I saw so I went with a pink Charmeuse. It was gorgeous but here's the dilemma. I thought I could get away with our cutting skirt panels just take two super large yards of fabric, I think it came up to 12 yards. 6 in the back 6 in the front I sewed them together, gathered and then when photo time came I realized the gown stopped at my ankles. And the shoes I chose were sacrificial shoes so not the best. So what I did was crop the image when editing and the photos looked nice. However, I plan to remake this gown but this time do it right, make skirt pannels and go more authentic to the period not more movie style show how the gown would of looked if the real Queen Elizabeth I wore in the time frame of her relationship with Essex.
This explained so beautifully the way my head works, in a way that I have never fully realized. I'm trying to pick which of two books to write first. The first one is going to require at least a month of intensive research, the other is something I can rattle off fairly quickly, and is already outlined. I am TORN.
I'm a heart person, but I do use my head to set myself challenges and make sure my ambitions are realistic. Lately, I've been overwhelmed by all the garment knitting I want to do and decided that my first choice should be the project that would fill a hole in my closet (a challenge with some boundaries!) I also often follow my heart to new or returning projects before my current project is done, so I make sure I document in detail everything I was doing and why and store it with the project being put away. I usually come back to it again when the seasons change, but if I don't, I've usually discovered that I lost interest in it for a reason and I'm ready to let the project go. This flexibility gives me permission to try more projects as I want instead of always beating myself up for not finishing which takes the pressure out of choosing for me. Plus, I'm always working on something I want to be working on instead of resenting my current project! 😄
I have a problem finishing a project. Too many started projects but not enough time. I hear you. Work first, then when time permitts I chip away at an unfinished project until its done. Most of the time it doesn't happen in the time frame I thought of. But with in a few day's. Some I need help with. That is the hard part, getting help.
I love Cathy so much first of all not only is she and amazing creator channel she does so much more than that she helps us face daily life challenges in a way that I never would have expected from a channel that is historical sewing. Cathy I want to say thank you was you are one of my very favorite people and one of the reasons that I stay with you tube it's channels like yours that are worth being on here. Or how to cook that by anne reardon love that channel but it's not like all the other crap that's out there and that's probably why it's so amazing
When I was studying costume design I was approaching each design with the thought "How would I make this? " This was understandable since my background was in construction. Designers could han me a stack of pieces with a picture and I could build it. The problem was that my constuction analyse squashed my creativity. My design teacher told me not to think just put brush to paper and let the process guide the result. I couldn't believe how creative my work became. Later I could look at my illustration and decide construction. It was so freeing and it also helped with constructing other people design no matter how vague and artistic. It showed me to lead with my heart.
Thank you so much for this, I hope this will help for my craft related problem (too many different ones) I have gotten better at managing all my different crafts and every craft's several project. For one I'm working hard on only working on 3 different crafts at a time, since I have a whole plethora of crafts that I enjoy, namely spinning, weaving, knitting, quilting, dressmaking, gardening, carpentry, painting as well as spending a lot of time in the kitchen making from scratch foods. And working I skip past the decision making phase by working through my projects 1 by 1, purely decided by whatever is on the top of the pile or whatever would be most likely to be finished. Which means that they have to be rather quick, since with homeschooling and a little toddler there is not much time. I will try your method of hanging up some of my project ideas to see which ones would bring me the most joy to work on. Thank you again for this helpful video❤
Thank you Cathy, I am both, I make the choice with my heart, but then my head steps in and takes control for weeks at a time, but I am very lucky as I have me Dad who sees me struggling and then gives me boot in the rump and makes me jump feet first right into a choice, funny it always works out right in the end and leaves me wondering why I spent so much time struggling in the first place. My trouble is even though I know this I still end up going around in circles each time. I think part of it is I need to keep Dad engaged into something since Mom passed away as they always did things together.
I swear you are reading my mind from the future, the number of motivational videos you've put out this year that have arrived the day after I've talked someone's ear off about a particular dilemma are exceeding my ability to believe in consciences! Thank you ever so much for your help!
This is how I do my stitching projects. I start with a main goal. This year it's enough counted cross stitch ornaments for a 7 foot Christmas tree using as much of my large stash of supplies (think at least 2 lifetimes huge). I then make my one legal working copy of the design (no copyright infringement here), pull the fabric and threads. All go into a plastic zippy bag. All those go into a large shopping bag. I set up my stitching area. I pull out one zippy bag and then I stitch. It doesn't matter what design I stitch first because all will go on the Christmas tree. I spent HOURS deciding what order to stitch and it wasn't until a friend said, What the order is, doesn't matter! You want them all, so just grab a zippy bag and get stitching! I turn on some motorsports racing and off I go. I try and stop ever hour to get up, stretch, grab a snack (no eating by my fabric) or walk the dog. While stitching the dilemma of how to finish, finish the ornament goes to the back of my brain and returns with the answer that I write down in my project journal. I now spend more time actually stitching and less time moving stacks around the room or time on Printrest ogling other friends work.
Hi Cathy ,you did make me laugh (A lot) and yes of course I do have a problem! Well : One? Uh mm much more than one! it h I only function when busy with multiple projects at the same time, it actually gives me so much joy! A skirt / a dress / a bag and tomorrow just may start painting a room in the house or something else totally different and then there is the writing, my elixir of life. So you see Cathy always busy but finishing the projects becomes difficult if not impossible except for my writing. It is exhausting, as you can imagine.
Perfect timing for me to watch this! I've just finished one project, and now deciding which to work on next. It helps a lot that you've framed it a "choice between a good idea and a good idea." I've tried that idea parking lot before, but adding the details sounds like it would help. Thank you, as always!
I had a terrible time deciding what to make for last year's competition. One of my issues was which category did I 'belong' in. I've been sewing for over 50 years, but... have only been sewing historically for about 10. So, figuring out what section I should have been entering caused me almost as much panic as picking out the project. In the end, I fell back on my usual method of deciding a project. Season is the first sorting. While I may work on socks year round, I don't want to be making a heavy flannel skirt in July. Next point, Usage. What do I need? What part will this play in my wardrobe. SCA? History Bounding? Or, everyday wardrobe. After that comes the economics... what fabrics, notions, patterns do I have that fit? Hopefully, I have a project to work on. On occasion though, I get all the planning done down to the very last bit and Poof! Serendipity strikes, and I'm not making a walking skirt, but making a fairy wing costume for the grand daughter. :)
I am definitely a head person. I'll go with pros and cons and then when I'm done and I arrive at the conclusion I see how that makes my heart feel. I then take that into consideration where if I feel strongly enough I might let it overrule my head, or else I'll persuade my heart with the arguments.
Thank you thank you thank you yet again! I don't have 1,000 ideas, just perhaps 15.. each with a degree of groundwork laid / materials assembled, but progress on even "the best" has ground to a halt. I did write/draw various bits in my datebooks during work breaks and commuting times (on public transportation). Watching your video, I realize that for me, I need to get actual drawings & notes on sheets of paper pinned to the corkboard above my sewing machines. I've got to get OFF of electronic media in order to actually TOUCH the tools and materials, enjoy that process, in order to make any progress. As you pointed out, I have to move the decision to a "heart" decision on what to prioritize, and only then draw up the "head" backup (of development milestone tracking and checklists per project), which is the opposite of what I have been doing. Thank you!
I absolutely do decide with the heart and then justify it with the head. 😂 I also think it’s fascinating that usually what our hearts want the head classifies as “crazy” or “unreasonable”. I think it does that because there are no logical reasons why to picky it except “I like that one the best” so our head needs to make it stand out in some way and be it only as the most unreasonable of all ideas.😅
A fried of mine carries D&D dice clipped to their wallet to help them make decisions and avoid decision fatigue whenever they’re out of the house. Whenever I have something I need help with making a decision I text them to roll the dice for me even though we live 3k miles apart (they live in Seattle and I live an hour south of Philly). In my knitting I find it’s easier to make decisions because a lot of it can be weather dependent. For example I dont want to knit a thick wool sweater when it’s 100 degrees out and super humid and don’t want to work with the wool in sweaty hands or sitting in my lap. So I’m able to give myself permission to set it aside and stop working on sleevil hell and knit lightweight and cheerful socks instead. Or if there’s a brand or fiber I really want but maybe it’s not exactly a color I would choose but it’s on sale I will definitely justify the purchase and make sure that pattern I use is one I love to make sure I actually wear it and it doesn’t sit in stash. Or maybe prioritize projects themselves because the weather will be chaning soon and you may need something specific in your wardrobe for that season. But my second consideration when knitting other than the thickness of the yarn and how it will feel in the weather is how the material will feel in my hands when working with it and if it’s a color I feel like staring at for hours on end. A sweater or shirt or dress can take weeks if not months and if you’re not in love with the project it’s easy to cast it aside and never finish. I would say you need to be able to find something you really love about your project and make sure it’s enough to keep you motivated and that it’s worth your attention to both finish and fix any mistakes that you may make along the way.
I'm trying to learn fashion playe sketching to get ideas out of my head. But really, even without that, I always know what my next big project will be when I think of it. I get this thrill, this excitement, and my heart just hitches itself it it. It's like I can already see myself with the finished thing, and I will do any work needed to make that happen.
OneNote is often forgotten, but it is a great place for dumping ideas (including video/audio) and if you have Windows/Office then it is free as well. I have a ton of saved material on Pinterest, but it has really deteriorated and posters have lost more and more control over what is posted/edited--not too sure how long it will last.
How I choose a project : “let’s think about this. Oh that seems nice. Let’s think about it. For a long time. Looong time. Too long, eff it, let’s do that”
my main problem is that i pick an idea, get almost done with it after hyperfixating for about three days, and then I get distracted by a different one 😂 I'm very much a whatever-mood-strikes-me maker, and sometimes need a good kick in the pants... Didn't make the buttonhole in a pair of shorts (the LAST thing that needed to be done!) until the event I wanted to wear them for was the next morning!
I often decide on a project after finding the materials that would be perfect for it. I go on web searches and scroll products that could help me do something or other so I always find the one thing that sets my heart on one particular project by chance. And it feels right when I'm not limited by too many choices but having instead infinite possibilities just waiting to happen. My last project just had one setback: the materials I ordered were not like what was promised on the product page but I can't let go of this project now and I'm decided on finding the right things to make it happen.
This, is effectively wording and verifying thoughts I've had but could not fully put together, yet the dilemma is still there. I have a big health limitation, as well as a mental factor that complicates the matter further. Being ill means I often have to say; later sometime maybe. Often the projects are big and terrifying, when even a small embroidery takes me months. Accepting the limitations to my physical health is difficult, but throughout trying smaller projects I felt I could handle I realised the real place the fear stemmed from was A: not being physically able to do it, B: falling out of love with the project because it took me so long to finish, and C: doing it poorly and being disappointed in the result. Tackling that fear is much more important to me than being able to make the choice, because by now I already have thousands of ideas forgotten, because I could not get myself to look at a screen for even five minutes to get it down, but I also have found that ideas I really love, come back, and some I've managed to get down the second time, others I decided, let it sit for a while. Not forgotten, but not "taken out of the oven" yet. I've also come to accept that having half-finished projects aren't a bad thing. Unless seeing it fills you with dread. Then, sometimes the best thing is just bite it back, and finish it, proving to oneself that "I finished it." This is very good advice for those moments when there are several ideas though. Unfortunately that doesn't happen too much for me anymore. Not creatively anyway.
If I have a bunch of decisions, I use a bracket system, because it's easier for me to choose between two options than a whole bunch. Randomly pick two ideas, choose one of them. Pick another two, choose one of them. Put the ones that were chosen back into the pool, grab two, pick one again. Repeat as necessary.
"We're all 'heart people'...at heart..."
Those are some wise words to live by.
Well, I'm a reader and a knitter. For both activities, I have one rule: I can start up to 3 projects and 3 books at a time, and then, I have to keep it at 3. So when one is done, I can start another one. For all the other books and knits I NEED to do, I, too, keep notebooks where I list them. It works.
i a talk my heart out of everything and have hundreds of unfinished projects that fill me with anti-joy to show for it
I make list, after list then a random morning or often late night when I can't sleep..my brain locks in and I become obsessed with 1 idea in particular.. and the work begins.
I know that feeling! MY ART, CRAFTS AND QUILTING. WHICH ONE DO I DO.😂
This is why I'm glad I'm going to live forever. 70 or 80 years is just a drop in the bucket to all the projects I'm planning.
"I think we're all heart people at heart" This is truth. I do a bit of both, cause I buy fabric that I love, then need to find a pattern for it when I'm ready to make something. So I will assess what I have and what I want to make, then narrow it down and then let my heart make the actual final decision haha.
As an ADHDer, this struggle is very real! I simply start a lot of projects and don't finish them. The joy is in the choosing and preparing and beginning for me, and I've learned to accept that about myself.
I feel it’s important to allow yourself to not finish a project that no longer makes your heart sing, pass it on let another enjoy it
Sometimes I have to just stop myself and walk away for a few minutes and then come back and then buckle down and start going to work.
What makes it a bit easier for me is I pick an item I need, then I pick and item I want. By alternating between the two, I can make decisions a little quicker. Sometimes I'll just grab a cut of fabric and look for a pattern that will use up as much of the material as possible. So I guess I kind of make a game out of it.
My solution to this problem. Have an organised project journal. Each page(s) has its own research, materials needed etc etc for each project. Or just vague ramblings about why you feel inspired to do the thing. Can put it in a binder to make it easier to rearrange and organise. So when your board or can't think of what to make you can dip into that previous inspiration. You can also write about and resolve blockers by definirinng what it is you need to progress. If it's practice or skill then that's the perfect justification for another smallet project
I break down my ultimate dreams in phases. It's a lot easier to deal with having a thousand ideas if you can use some or most of those ideas as ways to practice for other bigger ideas.
Structured embroidered velvet ballgown is a lot, and if I also want a skirt from similar fabric I can learn to work with the fabric, and if I want a shirt in that style I can find out if it's actually flattering before investing. It calms the perfectionist brain to have practice and calms the anxiety brain to make useful things that minimize waste.
Remember to save patterns and note lessons. I've learned to make feathers, and now, I can do wings.
A bad decision is better than no decision at all. You can always switch if you really aren't feeling it and that knowledge will help you make a better decision next time! Sewing isn't meant to be torture.
I always have a million and one ideas. For me it's writing. Sometimes art, but usually writing. I always tell myself I'm not going to start another new one. And it's always when I spend days and days unable to get it out of my head, that I will actually sit down and start planning it. Sometimes they still don't happen, but in my experience, if you can't stop thinking about a creative project, it's probably a good sign that it's one you should pick and would love and would be able to keep up with the entire time it takes to complete
Hello! I have had the same issue in the past. How I have begun is to be consistent and keep on writing no matter how many grammatical errors there are. I am a perfectionist, so it is quite difficult to tell myself "just let go and keep on writing. All you need is one thousand words a week" And if I go through over the one thousand word mark it is finished sooner.
The worst part is writer's block. After my grandfather's passing, I had a difficult time finishing up a writing project. I dropped it and began a new one. That one was done within a year. It was a learning lesson and a moment of grievance. But it felt good!
Oh, Cathy thank you!! This happens to me every time--every time!--that I enter my studio: I panic, I pace, I freeze, I fluster, then I begin 6 things and finish... maybe one of them. And so I can often grow discouraged. But when you started ticking off the ways we can 'park' our ideas I got the tingles! A wonderful solution! This resonated with me so much, and I've already grabbed a journal and have jotted down idea after idea: They are like little Christmas packages now--filled with delight, instead of sticky messes on my worktop waiting to fluster me. xoxo
Appreciated your comment. I struggle with same. My panic workaround: Alleviated when direct working area is stripped bare. Minimal equip only.
While of course, not the intentended meaning of the original comment, it just happened to be a great description of the ADHD ongoing experience of project management 🙄. A never ending internal struggle.
Either way, keep on sewing!
I made the decision to make a certain quilt pattern. Bought pattern and fabric and worked to make things go together. It wasn't until I realized, after 1 1/2 months of struggle, that I wasn't making the quilt to keep, but to give away, that things started to flow. And it really was like turning on a light in a dark room. As soon as i thought about the person I would give it to, the pieces went together like a dream.
That's really sweet of you! I do the same thing, when there is an event or a birthday coming up, let's say in three or six months. I begin with a three-way idea, 1) Try These 2) Maybe These as a Hobby 3) No, maybe, nope. And buy the items I need and remember that the projects I have on the side are to gift those go first, then those as a hobby come second because I know I will get distracted with side projects. So, I tell myself the hobby or gift project and how long I have until xxxx date. I take it from there. 🎁
I didn't plan it, but I accidentally found myself creating more of my ideas in the available time, in a really fun way. The year before the pandemic, I was making centerpieces for our English Country Dance ball. I wanted to be able to auction them off to create a fund for future ball decor so I made dancing couples wearing costumes inspired by each of the dances, which were choreographed between the late 1500s and modern time. They were made from wire, fabric and paperclay, and were animals rather than people because , honestly, frogs, rabbits, ducks, dragons and other magical creatures are more fun to sculpt than human faces. Animals aside, I got to lightly research dress from the various eras represented on the ball programme, and then recreate it affordably, on characters under 16 inches tall. This didn't require corsetry, of course, and it wasn't perfectly HA, but it was fun to make and the ball attendees were delighted. They were so well received that I've continued to make these figures to sell from my studio. I don't necessarily have a desire to own (or even wear) every ballgown I dream up, and I would never have the time for anything else if I tried to make even a small number of my ideas. so this gives me a way to get around FOMO.
I love this. You get all the fun of the experiment and design without all the time-sink of making it life sized. Maybe I should try making doll clothes? 🤔 😄
@@pantherzrule1 it really is a fun option. Also, fittings are nearly non-existent, so much less stress. :)
One of my quick tricks for making the full list into a "short list" is the mantra "maybe means no." Looking at a long list, there's always some that are "definitely not right now" and some that are "I wanna do this right this instant." And then there are those that are "ooh, this is a cool idea, maybe this will work." When there's already a list of instant yes, maybe means no.
Great video, thank you - I let the head decide, buy all I need, completely lose any motivation for that project, then do whatever comes up with what is lying around elsewhere in my place - I know this is what will happen, and I am totally fine with it (apart from having a lot of supplies tucked away all the time) It works! Know yourself, (your heart) you got it
honestly this really applies to me through buying plants for gardening which is most of what i do. aka trying to be money-conscious whilst literally wanting hundreds of plants
Propagate!
oh my Heavens!! you've been in my head!! 🤣
Yes I'm struggling so much. I tell myself to shut up all the time, because I don't need even more ideas to choose from. My current decisions are based on deadline and when I need them. So, event specific.
I find the best way to make a decision when I’m agonizing over a few options, is to just make a decision. Just stop thinking about it, pick one and say out-loud, ok, this is what I’m doing. Even tell other people you have picked it. One of two things will happen, either you will be happy and start working on it, or you will have almost immediate regret. “Oh I wish I had picked the other one.” Then you have your answer, and you can go back to that one that you wish you had picked.
The people you told your initial decision will be ok with "I changed my mind", particularly if you complete the project.
@@MNkno Whether they are OK with it or not, or whether it is completed or not does not mater. The purpose of telling someone is not for permission or their approval, it is to aid oneself in the decision making. By verbally saying outloud the choice, it registers differently in ones brain than if you just think it. It is not looking for an opinion, it is a statement, whether or not someone agrees is not the point if the exercise.
I love/hate Pinterest…. It’s great for keeping your ideas, but also leads you into new ideas. There’s too much to pick from ❤
I have 3 project books, one for the garden, one for my knitting, and one for sewing projects.
Every time I get a new idea, I’ll enter it to the project book, and add a deadline for the project. This can be a huge thing for some, but for me this gives me time to “get to know” the idea, and then decide if I want to do it or discard the project. It’s like a to-do list, but you get to decide if the project is worth the time, and money 🧵🪡
This makes me feel so nice and optimistic - like a treasure collector looking at my lovely ideas 🥰
I will say, one things I’ve done with my to-do list that could perhaps also be used here - just roll some dice! Either you’ll be okay with the result, or you’ll quickly realize “okay NOT that one” and narrow your list down lol
Spent an hour last night trying to decide on a which yarn of several I already have to make a hat from. Then realised I can just make more than one hat!
"is it something i want to do for me, or something i want to do for praise?"
that's how i decide what to do and what can wait
I was having this problem with my writing until I realized the story I really wanted to make would benefit if I built up to it with a set of other stories. Then I got excited about the process and could write the others under the umbrella of a writing exercise lol 😅
This! The best way to get better at something is doing it, and the best way of doing something is to have fun when you do it. I've written so much "for fun" that taught me so much, and it's been the same for drawing/painting. It probably applies to all creative endeavours. Do the thing that's most fun, if it didn't turn out well, then it's just practice for the future. A step on the path.
I never decide which one comes first. I just start them. Right now I am working on 6 projects. When I feel like knitting, I knit. Bobbin lace, sewing, crocheting, when I feel like it, I do it. Eventually they get finished and I start the next. This way I dont have to decide, I love it.
As a hobbyist model-maker, I too have way more ideas and tempting projects than can be built in a lifetime. I have a box of plans, only few of which will ever be realized, But at some point I realized that studying these plans, spinning ideas in my head and planning out construction details IS a very important part of the hobby. Firstly, because I learn things and it inspires me to incorporate construction methods and details into other projects, secondly, because it is a fun thing to do. Sometimes projects rest for quite some time until a connection between two or more dots suddenly appears (often when I actually should go to bed).
I very much enjoy your comment. I have a similar hobby. Most times I get inspired after reading a fantasy book or a non-fiction book on almost anything. Sometimes I don't know where to begin, then the full-time and part-time jobs come into play and after months of being away from said project. It is like an unfinished and yet realized idea, which is already on paper. After six years I finally finished a 2D model design and a friend told me it looked awesome and that I should add it to the Minecraft competition. I made some modifications and entered it. It won second place. 😅
There should be more small competitions in communities where hobbyists like yourself can participate and get inspired by others. I understand it's just a hobby, but it is quite nice when you get to share it with someone like-minded who appreciates the little details.
This isn't really related to the topic here but just wanted to say I am so happy with the pace of your channel. It seems like other channels make an entire 1700s court gown in a week and I've been making the same pair of stays for five months now. I know they're full-time mostly and I am not but it's a little absurd. It's nice to see you take time with things and really get into the details: they're so interesting!
Anyway my strategy here has been to do two projects at once so I'm never bored of both (different types of projects so currently a sewing-heavy one and an embroidery-heavy one) and try to have at least one with lots of handsewing to do at a time and then just make a list of things I want to make and how soon I'd like to make them. Sometimes that's affected by fabric availability, sometimes by the fact that I am unwilling to work with boiled wool when it's summer. Othertimes it's just a "I'd like to do this someday but not for a while yet" and then I have something fun to look forward to.
I second the pacing! I'm such a slow crafter and I get inpatient and discouraged watching all my amazing TH-camrs churn out projects so fast. Your channel always reminds me that there's value to the process as well as the destination.
I struggled with this too, especially because every new idea is just so exciting and then you have 10 unfinished projects, but then one day I discovered the secret that would forever change my decision making process, the all mighty random numbers generator. There are no bad projects, so you might just as well cut the decision making completely, keep your ideas in a spreadsheet and hope for the best
I confess I smiled while you were talking about the heart/head decision process. I've discovered myself several times carefully and logically assessing which project I should turn to next, make the decision but then when I get into the work room, wind up picking the one I actually WANT to do, regardless of intent. So yes, the heart I too believe is strong in this one.
Good video. In ancient Hebrew, (Lev, or Leb, Levab, Lebab) the word for head and heart were used interchangably, it was a concept that is the melding of both what we call head and heart. I was taught that fact 35 years ago, and Ive used that as my guiding principal. Its never failed me. I try to make emotional decisions with my head, even if I dont like it, and know what - the heart follows suit. Then i make head decisions with my heart. The one time in my life this failed me, because I refused to folllow the head, and went only with my heart, it lead to aweful heartache and cost me and us thousands and thousands of dollars. I did justify it again and again, and I knew deep down it wasnt going to work, but it was a life dream, and one almost in reach. So, I tried desperately, and got burnt. However it turned out to be good, and I got something I didnt realise I wanted more - and it just came to me, without me asking.
For me its whatever I pick up first. That way its cleanly whatever my eye is drawn to. If I can't decide even then, I walk away for a bit and do something else like clean the kitchen. That way I feel productive even if it isn't in the way I wanted.
Oh, I've got a huge dilemma right now. I am tearing apart between two project ideas, that I love equally and dearly. The first one is a beautiful skirt with multiple embroidered changeable layers and the second one is the embroidered ethnic Ukrainian chemise (vyshyvanka). I am losing hope and sanity trying to decide which one will make a better entry in the FR competition😅 but after watching this video I suddenly understood that I just want the chemise to be in my life😊 thank you for bringing some peace to my soul😄
I've got pen and paper in each and every room just so I can write things down or make a drawing so I won't forget. It all get put in a box for safe storage. Before I had to track down a pen and paper and kept forgetting great ideas. ❤️
Another way ...toss a coin for Yes or No ...and chances are YOU WILL HOPE FOR THE ANSWER YOU REALLY WANT hahahhahaa xx
I totally agree with your thoughts and analyses! I have another tool to add which would probably come between the head and the heart phases: the creative power of limits and constraints. All too often we see limits and constraints (be they time, money, skill set...) as negative but just imagine how much harder it would be too make these kinds of decisions if you had infinite time, money, ressources etc... where on earth would you start? Exploring limits and bounderies, where they are , how much they can be stretched, in what ways can they be overcome and which ways they can be used to your advantage is, for me, a good foundation to start going into the heart phase without the worry about: spending too much on fabric or ressources that I then don't dare cut into for fear of making a mistake and wasting it (even after mock-ups), starting a project but finding it too time or energy consuming to carry through, thus creating a backlog of UFO's... I'm sure you all get the picture! My point: limits and boundaries can be reasuring and working within them and overcoming them is freeing!
Hope this may be of some help to someone, especially if you are on a low budget and/or dealing with an energy limiting chronic illness or any other condition which is perceived as a limit.
I love your comment! There are alot of myths regarding so called "artistic freedom". Freedom is always referred to as the ideal, when in fact it can be paralyzing the same way a blank sheet of paper can trigger writer's block.
Limitations are in fact an artists best friend. Unlimited possibilities, unlimited funds etc don't do artists any favors. Limitations can be as simple as painting a canvas, not the 4 walls of the studio, floor and ceiling and your dog. The unlimited is crazy or can make you crazy, not necessarily in a productive way. And chosing that one canvas will immediately direct the work in some way due to the size and format of it.
Limitations can be large and small, general or very specific. It's a framework from which you can make more descisions that are part of the commenced creative process. It gets you engaged in the step of here and now and not carried away with the entire project and all its steps and anticipations and problems which is both daunting and never matches reality, because reality is full of surprizes and ideas birthing new ones.
This is why method and routine are so important. Much more than inspiration which comes and goes. Creating a format for practice, because any art or craft is a practice. Your practice and routine also provides a framework. Limitation that inevitably leads to possibility. Thinking too much alone doesn't further creative practices. It's a falsarium a hypothetical abstraction of something that depends on tangible practice. Especially for people who are creative because they need to occupy their hands and focus their mind on the craft at hand, it doesn't make sense to idealize total freedom and spend too much time in the world of ideas without doing. It's self deceptive and a mind fck, a trap and often leads to either focusing on what you don't have or can, or creates more anxiety than creative energy, or simply sets you up for disappointment (in yourself, or a course or whatever, the weather even). I enjoyed reading your comment, and this video. It's an important topic worth discussing.
@@gnarbeljo8980 i enjoyed your comment on anxiety in the art studio, guess i will search for groups or podcasts on the topic of adhd issu3s in the art studio.
I'm watching you on TH-cam as we speak because I'm procrastinating on decided which project to start today! The universe is obviously telling me that it's time to turn off my phone and make use of your excellent advice.
For organizing ideas and prioritizing which ones to take on, I can definitely recommend a book to read. “Making Ideas Happen” by Scott Belsky, it comes from the perspective of business but business from a creative person’s headspace. It opened up my mind to how to organize ideas to free up my head and anxiety and then bring them to fruition. This is a good book to get as a next step after watching this video!
@@voirworks6002 wow I am so happy! If you find it at all useful that would be amazing to me. It was a book I read in college but it did change how I process ideas and how I deal with the battle with having too many ideas and not enough time. I loved reading it.
I've read a couple of articles saying that it's true people justify their decisions after having made the decision. This was most evident when someone had to make a split second decision, but it also applies to other decisions.
nice to see the flipping a coin/asking someone and seeing if you like the outcome method expressed .... something I do a lot .. down to figuring out where to sit in a restaurant .. though that can get a bit awkward when asking someone to pick and then you do the exact opposite
I try having 2 or
3 projects happening at the same time (one for turning off the brain, one that's very whimsical and fun and one bigger project). I usually just choose one that I'll use a LOT or one that I can laugh every time I look at it
My biggest struggle is when I have the supplies for multiple projects, so I don't know which one to pick.
Me too and after hearing what Cathy’s saying, decisions in our case should probably come at the shopping for supplies stage. I don’t know about you but buying what I don’t really need for my current project comes from making up the cost of my basket to get free shipping and I struggle with self control when I see all the pretty things!
I get started, almost obsessed, with an idea, but if I get stuck doing it, (usually a fitting problem, or not quite enough fabric,) I set it aside, "just for now." Just for now is a famous phrase in my home because of all the unfinished projects scattered about. A few days ago, I came upon a large stash of stagnant projects, way more than I thought. I'm too stubborn and too thrifty to throw them out, yet I can't move forward either. I'm guessing I'm not alone.
My most challenging issue has been for the contest this year. Determined to use stash at hand (but knew lining would be needed) the design went through about 7 iterations all based on Worth creations, including the final choice. It was however, from the later period of Worth and is from about 1912 and is a day suit. More bonkers the decision process there could not have been because while one of the ball gowns was my dream, spending that much time on a gown I would end up never really getting any real use from seemed silly.
That desire to get real use out of the garments we spend so much time and effort creating is SO resonant!! A fantasy ball gown that never gets worn can mean tolerating our day-to-day wardrobe of things that were a compromise of availablity and needed function over wearing something that could give us joy simply by being what we were wearing that day. Best wishes for your Worth day suit project!
@@MNkno thank you.
I usually have a million Pinterest images downloaded onto my gadgets and use those images to create a completely new idea by Frankensteining different elements I like such as trimming placement or silhouette and necklines and sleeves and trains into one hybrid idea. But sometimes a fashion plate or photograph is just perfect that I just redraw it in my iPad and I just write down all the materials in a notebook to remind myself of what I need.
Thank you, Cathy! I will say it's taken me so long to realize this. I'm a writer so I'm constantly writing things down. My problem is that, in my head, are the people that had told me in my teens & 20s that said "You can't succeed at that" which gave me a fear of rejection. Finally, last year, I allowed myself to just do. I've published it to an online site and just said to myself "Maybe no one will love this as much as I do, but that's okay." I published my first chapters... practically hyperventilating... and then waited to see if anyone would read it... anyone would comment. I'll be honest, it wasn't a ton, but every time someone sent a lovely comment or a question, it was like the best gift ever. I was even looking for negative comments that might make my writing better.
What was the best was just finishing my project... and getting out of my head. I love listening to you about your process. While I may not sew, your thoughts on just being creative is great and thought provoking. Thank you for being vulnerable for those of us watching your videos. You're TERRIFIC!
LOL! I make journals during winter time. I only sew flannel nightgowns during that time. Once spring comes, I start writing in those journals for flowers, veggies and planning this years renn fair dress. I go by my heart then decide what I have the ability to sew. The fair runs in september. Then I go back to making next years journals.
Most of the time I pick the project what makes mostly fun for this moment ( because as long it makes fun it makes sense;-), but sometimes I pick the one that is needed to, for example mending a piece I really want to wear soon.
In the beginning of this year I wrote all my ideas on projects, in the end I've chosen the one that wasn't in the list at all, I made it and was happy...
My dilemma is that I overthink the materials, trying to pick THE right fabrics, etc based on a vague idea of how I want the item to look - but in my head, it MUST be exact. It was making me so anxious that I often ended up doing nothing at all, which caused me more stress.... I finally realized that I cannot possibly know every detail of the final look before I even begin. It just isn't possible. So I am trying to remember this and just go with the flow. I have to stop letting perfectionism hold me back from doing the thing. An impov quilt project that is designed to highlight this exact dilemma was hugely helpful. It was a kaleidoscope quilt with no possible way to predict the final look until you put it all together. It was a great learning tool. I need frequent reminders to not slip back but it was very valuable.
So much truth in this. I'm someone who has many hobbies--from embroidery to jewelry making, sewing to bookbinding, basket weaving to culinary arts. I have a universe filled with ideas. I choose from each category--calculate time to finish project with use of one hour per session.. I allow myself three projects per week+ as needed w/1hr per day of work on each. That way I don't get bored or discouraged with any project and can gather materials as needed along the way. It works for me.
I have way too many ideas nad far too many areas of interest. This is the only way I've found for me to get any of them done. Oh, and did I mention that I'm also a writer? :D
Was going to write halfway through the video, I think I'm more of a head person, wish I was a heart person. And as I open comments Cathy flipped the script. Crafty Cathy, crafty.
I agree with your statement that we desire from the heart first. I'm largely a left-brain thinker, but what gets my gears spinning in the first place is the desire for something: "oh, I would really like to (buy)(do)(see) that". Then my left-brain takes over and assesses my current reality with respect to time, money, and so on.
I have an ideas book for all kinds of things, not just sewing, and the desire for them doesn't go away because my assessment says they're not possible right now. I do pencil in a priority when I write them down. When later I review the ideas my heart has sometimes changed a bit, so I'll change the priority. For me, the analysis and planning is part of the fun.
I can not sit idle, I need to do something. So out of all the ideas I have I pick the one I am always looking forward to the most.
I give myself rewards. I'll do two or three projects that I need to get done then reward myself by doing a project I want to get done. for me it's a great Motivator
This is so me at the moment. I have started a crochet project, a sewing project and a beading project, none of which has gone quite right. They are now sitting neatly in their project boxes and bags, waiting for me to decide whether to dismantle them and start again or to dismantle them and try something different…
Well ACTUALLY, you have picked my brain as I have been doing the most stunningly brilliant job of overthinking what I should post next on my channel. 🙄🤦🏻♀️🤦🏻♀️It's not for want of ideas, but rather too many. I have the blank sketchbook terror of just making the mark so I can start filling the sketchbook, so to speak. I'm going to rewatch this video again.... and again, if need be, until I break free from the matrix of indecision. Thank you❤❤❤
This video is perfect timing! I was just let go from my one-year term position and I have 3 months off until the next term starts. This job kicked my butt and I wasn't able to create as I went home every night exhausted so now I have all these ideas for paintings and artwork that have been patiently waiting so where do I start?! My idea is to go with the quicker/easier projects first, which will also be like warming up again as I'm out of practice, then do the more detailed paintings after. I'm very excited to get at it!
I did love that my daughter posted this. I realized the methodology of both head and heart in deciding which of many choices I had to design a future bnb room. I designed the rooms in a graphics program where it is easy to make changes using the usual design principles and elements, then looked at them over and over for weeks. One theme and one design did just what she said: gave me joy! Then it all came together!
I have been putting off a project for weeks, that I know will only take 20 minutes.... because, come on, it's only 20 minutes. Yet I dawdled until this morning, it honestly took longer to set up my sewing machine than it did to cut out and pin the project (a cover for a dog bed - basically sewing 2 rectangles together). I always have several projects on the go, but the ones that take little time are the ones I stall on doing. To combat this, I give myself one day a week to knock out a handful of the small projects. Doing this gives me more time to concentrate on the larger projects without fussing over the smaller ones (example - working on a quilt / mending or replacing buttons), while also giving me a break from the larger project on my "off" day. I also work best with a deadline, without one I can lollygag on a project for years (started an afghan for my son when he was 16 - he turns 30 next birthday and is still on me to finish it LOL).
I love how you bridge business- and creative-speak. This video twigged so much of what I do day-to-day and put in context as to how I approach the not-work / creative side of my life and vice versa! And how it gives permission to bring that business approach into the creative and the creative approach into the business.... yay permission! And yes...heart drives head, which then helps narrow the choices down for the final selection by the heart....
Hey Cathy, I loved your video today, it really helped with all these sewing ideas I had. I also wanted to share a sewing dilemma I had. Years ago I fell in love with a gown worn by Bette Davis in the film "The private lives of Elizabeth and Essex " the gown in question was this beautiful metallic floral pink satin looking material with an iridescent effect over the most beautiful magenta raspberry colored velvet. And that entrance scene with the dress in full length I nearly ruined the player set because I kept rewinding to that moment because that gown stole my heart. Now came to recreating it. I found the perfect velvet but had to improvise on the pink half. I couldn't find anything similar to that fabric I saw so I went with a pink Charmeuse. It was gorgeous but here's the dilemma. I thought I could get away with our cutting skirt panels just take two super large yards of fabric, I think it came up to 12 yards. 6 in the back 6 in the front I sewed them together, gathered and then when photo time came I realized the gown stopped at my ankles. And the shoes I chose were sacrificial shoes so not the best. So what I did was crop the image when editing and the photos looked nice. However, I plan to remake this gown but this time do it right, make skirt pannels and go more authentic to the period not more movie style show how the gown would of looked if the real Queen Elizabeth I wore in the time frame of her relationship with Essex.
This explained so beautifully the way my head works, in a way that I have never fully realized. I'm trying to pick which of two books to write first. The first one is going to require at least a month of intensive research, the other is something I can rattle off fairly quickly, and is already outlined. I am TORN.
do the quick one first and ride that high of accomplishment into doing the second
I'm a heart person, but I do use my head to set myself challenges and make sure my ambitions are realistic. Lately, I've been overwhelmed by all the garment knitting I want to do and decided that my first choice should be the project that would fill a hole in my closet (a challenge with some boundaries!) I also often follow my heart to new or returning projects before my current project is done, so I make sure I document in detail everything I was doing and why and store it with the project being put away. I usually come back to it again when the seasons change, but if I don't, I've usually discovered that I lost interest in it for a reason and I'm ready to let the project go. This flexibility gives me permission to try more projects as I want instead of always beating myself up for not finishing which takes the pressure out of choosing for me. Plus, I'm always working on something I want to be working on instead of resenting my current project! 😄
I have a problem finishing a project. Too many started projects but not enough time. I hear you. Work first, then when time permitts I chip away at an unfinished project until its done. Most of the time it doesn't happen in the time frame I thought of. But with in a few day's. Some I need help with. That is the hard part, getting help.
I love Cathy so much first of all not only is she and amazing creator channel she does so much more than that she helps us face daily life challenges in a way that I never would have expected from a channel that is historical sewing. Cathy I want to say thank you was you are one of my very favorite people and one of the reasons that I stay with you tube it's channels like yours that are worth being on here. Or how to cook that by anne reardon love that channel but it's not like all the other crap that's out there and that's probably why it's so amazing
When I was studying costume design I was approaching each design with the thought "How would I make this? " This was understandable since my background was in construction. Designers could han me a stack of pieces with a picture and I could build it. The problem was that my constuction analyse squashed my creativity. My design teacher told me not to think just put brush to paper and let the process guide the result. I couldn't believe how creative my work became. Later I could look at my illustration and decide construction. It was so freeing and it also helped with constructing other people design no matter how vague and artistic. It showed me to lead with my heart.
I connect my head and my heart in parallel to make major decisions.
All the best with Foundations Revealed. You have worked really hard. You deserve success.
Thank you so much for this, I hope this will help for my craft related problem (too many different ones) I have gotten better at managing all my different crafts and every craft's several project. For one I'm working hard on only working on 3 different crafts at a time, since I have a whole plethora of crafts that I enjoy, namely spinning, weaving, knitting, quilting, dressmaking, gardening, carpentry, painting as well as spending a lot of time in the kitchen making from scratch foods. And working I skip past the decision making phase by working through my projects 1 by 1, purely decided by whatever is on the top of the pile or whatever would be most likely to be finished. Which means that they have to be rather quick, since with homeschooling and a little toddler there is not much time.
I will try your method of hanging up some of my project ideas to see which ones would bring me the most joy to work on.
Thank you again for this helpful video❤
Thank you Cathy, I am both, I make the choice with my heart, but then my head steps in and takes control for weeks at a time, but I am very lucky as I have me Dad who sees me struggling and then gives me boot in the rump and makes me jump feet first right into a choice, funny it always works out right in the end and leaves me wondering why I spent so much time struggling in the first place. My trouble is even though I know this I still end up going around in circles each time. I think part of it is I need to keep Dad engaged into something since Mom passed away as they always did things together.
I swear you are reading my mind from the future, the number of motivational videos you've put out this year that have arrived the day after I've talked someone's ear off about a particular dilemma are exceeding my ability to believe in consciences! Thank you ever so much for your help!
So many ideas, so many projects so very little time results in productivity paralysis- I suffer from an acute case!
Thank you Cathy!
I usually pick the one that will take the least time to complete:)
This is how I do my stitching projects.
I start with a main goal. This year it's enough counted cross stitch ornaments for a 7 foot Christmas tree using as much of my large stash of supplies (think at least 2 lifetimes huge). I then make my one legal working copy of the design (no copyright infringement here), pull the fabric and threads. All go into a plastic zippy bag. All those go into a large shopping bag. I set up my stitching area. I pull out one zippy bag and then I stitch.
It doesn't matter what design I stitch first because all will go on the Christmas tree. I spent HOURS deciding what order to stitch and it wasn't until a friend said, What the order is, doesn't matter! You want them all, so just grab a zippy bag and get stitching!
I turn on some motorsports racing and off I go. I try and stop ever hour to get up, stretch, grab a snack (no eating by my fabric) or walk the dog.
While stitching the dilemma of how to finish, finish the ornament goes to the back of my brain and returns with the answer that I write down in my project journal.
I now spend more time actually stitching and less time moving stacks around the room or time on Printrest ogling other friends work.
Hi Cathy ,you did make me laugh (A lot) and yes of course I do have a problem! Well : One? Uh mm much more than one! it h I only function when busy with multiple projects at the same time, it actually gives me so much joy! A skirt / a dress / a bag and tomorrow just may start painting a room in the house or something else totally different and then there is the writing, my elixir of life. So you see Cathy always busy but finishing the projects becomes difficult if not impossible except for my writing. It is exhausting, as you can imagine.
Perfect timing for me to watch this! I've just finished one project, and now deciding which to work on next. It helps a lot that you've framed it a "choice between a good idea and a good idea." I've tried that idea parking lot before, but adding the details sounds like it would help. Thank you, as always!
I had a terrible time deciding what to make for last year's competition. One of my issues was which category did I 'belong' in. I've been sewing for over 50 years, but... have only been sewing historically for about 10. So, figuring out what section I should have been entering caused me almost as much panic as picking out the project. In the end, I fell back on my usual method of deciding a project. Season is the first sorting. While I may work on socks year round, I don't want to be making a heavy flannel skirt in July. Next point, Usage. What do I need? What part will this play in my wardrobe. SCA? History Bounding? Or, everyday wardrobe. After that comes the economics... what fabrics, notions, patterns do I have that fit? Hopefully, I have a project to work on. On occasion though, I get all the planning done down to the very last bit and Poof! Serendipity strikes, and I'm not making a walking skirt, but making a fairy wing costume for the grand daughter. :)
Thank you Cathy
I am definitely a head person. I'll go with pros and cons and then when I'm done and I arrive at the conclusion I see how that makes my heart feel. I then take that into consideration where if I feel strongly enough I might let it overrule my head, or else I'll persuade my heart with the arguments.
Your voice sounds amazing!!! Great progress!
Thank you thank you thank you yet again! I don't have 1,000 ideas, just perhaps 15.. each with a degree of groundwork laid / materials assembled, but progress on even "the best" has ground to a halt. I did write/draw various bits in my datebooks during work breaks and commuting times (on public transportation). Watching your video, I realize that for me, I need to get actual drawings & notes on sheets of paper pinned to the corkboard above my sewing machines. I've got to get OFF of electronic media in order to actually TOUCH the tools and materials, enjoy that process, in order to make any progress.
As you pointed out, I have to move the decision to a "heart" decision on what to prioritize, and only then draw up the "head" backup (of development milestone tracking and checklists per project), which is the opposite of what I have been doing. Thank you!
I absolutely do decide with the heart and then justify it with the head. 😂
I also think it’s fascinating that usually what our hearts want the head classifies as “crazy” or “unreasonable”. I think it does that because there are no logical reasons why to picky it except “I like that one the best” so our head needs to make it stand out in some way and be it only as the most unreasonable of all ideas.😅
A fried of mine carries D&D dice clipped to their wallet to help them make decisions and avoid decision fatigue whenever they’re out of the house. Whenever I have something I need help with making a decision I text them to roll the dice for me even though we live 3k miles apart (they live in Seattle and I live an hour south of Philly).
In my knitting I find it’s easier to make decisions because a lot of it can be weather dependent. For example I dont want to knit a thick wool sweater when it’s 100 degrees out and super humid and don’t want to work with the wool in sweaty hands or sitting in my lap. So I’m able to give myself permission to set it aside and stop working on sleevil hell and knit lightweight and cheerful socks instead. Or if there’s a brand or fiber I really want but maybe it’s not exactly a color I would choose but it’s on sale I will definitely justify the purchase and make sure that pattern I use is one I love to make sure I actually wear it and it doesn’t sit in stash. Or maybe prioritize projects themselves because the weather will be chaning soon and you may need something specific in your wardrobe for that season. But my second consideration when knitting other than the thickness of the yarn and how it will feel in the weather is how the material will feel in my hands when working with it and if it’s a color I feel like staring at for hours on end. A sweater or shirt or dress can take weeks if not months and if you’re not in love with the project it’s easy to cast it aside and never finish. I would say you need to be able to find something you really love about your project and make sure it’s enough to keep you motivated and that it’s worth your attention to both finish and fix any mistakes that you may make along the way.
I'm trying to learn fashion playe sketching to get ideas out of my head. But really, even without that, I always know what my next big project will be when I think of it. I get this thrill, this excitement, and my heart just hitches itself it it. It's like I can already see myself with the finished thing, and I will do any work needed to make that happen.
OneNote is often forgotten, but it is a great place for dumping ideas (including video/audio) and if you have Windows/Office then it is free as well. I have a ton of saved material on Pinterest, but it has really deteriorated and posters have lost more and more control over what is posted/edited--not too sure how long it will last.
I decide based on which one is most pressing and then do about a dozen others to procrastinate first. LOL.
A good book to read on this topic is "Refuse to Choose" by Barbara Sher.
How I choose a project : “let’s think about this. Oh that seems nice. Let’s think about it. For a long time. Looong time. Too long, eff it, let’s do that”
my main problem is that i pick an idea, get almost done with it after hyperfixating for about three days, and then I get distracted by a different one 😂 I'm very much a whatever-mood-strikes-me maker, and sometimes need a good kick in the pants... Didn't make the buttonhole in a pair of shorts (the LAST thing that needed to be done!) until the event I wanted to wear them for was the next morning!
I often decide on a project after finding the materials that would be perfect for it. I go on web searches and scroll products that could help me do something or other so I always find the one thing that sets my heart on one particular project by chance. And it feels right when I'm not limited by too many choices but having instead infinite possibilities just waiting to happen. My last project just had one setback: the materials I ordered were not like what was promised on the product page but I can't let go of this project now and I'm decided on finding the right things to make it happen.
Thank you for so beautifully describing the head vs heart decision making..
inspiring as always. I have so many things i want to do but end up overwhelemed by coice
This, is effectively wording and verifying thoughts I've had but could not fully put together, yet the dilemma is still there. I have a big health limitation, as well as a mental factor that complicates the matter further. Being ill means I often have to say; later sometime maybe. Often the projects are big and terrifying, when even a small embroidery takes me months. Accepting the limitations to my physical health is difficult, but throughout trying smaller projects I felt I could handle I realised the real place the fear stemmed from was A: not being physically able to do it, B: falling out of love with the project because it took me so long to finish, and C: doing it poorly and being disappointed in the result. Tackling that fear is much more important to me than being able to make the choice, because by now I already have thousands of ideas forgotten, because I could not get myself to look at a screen for even five minutes to get it down, but I also have found that ideas I really love, come back, and some I've managed to get down the second time, others I decided, let it sit for a while. Not forgotten, but not "taken out of the oven" yet.
I've also come to accept that having half-finished projects aren't a bad thing. Unless seeing it fills you with dread. Then, sometimes the best thing is just bite it back, and finish it, proving to oneself that "I finished it."
This is very good advice for those moments when there are several ideas though. Unfortunately that doesn't happen too much for me anymore. Not creatively anyway.