With the plethora of ideas that creative people can come up with, it can be a challenge to pick which one to work on next. Artists tend to have many more ideas for projects than they can complete. We have big imaginations and when our creativity is at its peak, the ideas overflow our creative cup.
So which ideas do you pursue? You can’t do them all, especially not at the same time. You need to choose between your little darlings. If you are like me, all of your ideas seem to have the same excitement and importance. I want to do them all! I have to admit, I get greedy about how much I think I can accomplish.
With that mindset, one can either frantically try to do too many projects, like a plate spinner, or become paralyzed, unable to choose. Because artists generate more ideas than they can do at any given time, it is helpful to have a system for capturing those gems when they pop into our heads. The idea catcher could be a sketchbook, a large envelope or a document on your computer. Experiment and find what works for you. What’s important is that it is an easy way to keep track of and retrieve the ideas your muse sends you.
Having a system to store your ideas not only honors your muse but it also is a physical book marker that you can refer to later. When you are ready for your next project or your creative well is low, you can peruse through your collection of ideas and see which ones still spark interest.
Now you have 3 or 4 ideas that you’d love to do but you know you only have time to work on one or maybe two at the same time. Which project do you choose? Well, I like to base my decision on a few factors:
- How passionate am I about the idea?
- Do I have the time to work on this project?
- Do I have most of what I need to start the project?
Usually your best bet for choosing which project to work on next is to pick the one that doesn’t leave you alone. It is that idea that gnaws at you late at night and keeps coming back. It is kind of like being in love; you can’t stop thinking about the idea. Make time to be in a quiet space and sit with each idea that you are interested in working one. Then listen and pick the idea that calls to you, loudly and consistently. Those ideas are the ones that have the most energy behind them and can sustain you to completing them.
Next criteria is – “Do I have a reasonable amount of time to work on the idea?” If you know you have a vacation coming up or an ongoing activity scheduled that will limit your availability, then it may not be a good time to start a project that requires big blocks of focused time. When I know my time is limited, I pick a smaller project to work on, like a card design instead of starting a new painting. Even if you decide to go ahead with a larger project, you can set a more realistic expectation about how much you can get done.
One of the kill joys for me is when I want to work on an idea but don’t have the materials, supplies, or space at hand to start. If you would love to start on a particular idea but you don’t have enough to start, then you may need to back burner the idea until you have what you need to start and make some progress. The starting and stopping on projects can slow your momentum and contribute to a string of unfinished projects.
Artists are blessed with an abundance of ideas that they can to work on. It is exciting to think about all the different things we can create. But we need to choose between our little darlings. Having ways to manage those ideas is essential to being productive and seeing the highest ideas through to fruition.