On Focus & Finishing

Just posted  the following in comments over on Coach Creative Space and just when I hit "reply" I thought, darn, that might make a good blog post - something to get me back to Lizards in the Leaves. Then I thought, hooray for 'copy and paste.'

This was a reply to a post about showing up for one's projects, staying with them to completion.

"How funny that I chose to pop in here right on the heels of my showing up for a project and seeing it through to completion. I tend to call it Focusing. But whatever it's called, giving one's self permission to do it is very rewarding. For me, it means I work nothing else but that project for the duration, except the day-to-day necessary tasks to keep my life moving.
It means I don't start anything else, no matter how many enticing ideas pop into my head as I work. It means I keep a pen and notepad beside me to write those ideas down, as well as all the 'to-dos" I think of that might lure me away. It means I regard the time spent working on my project as sacred.

My recent experience was in deciding, at virtually the last minute, to create something for a crochet design competition. I started it 8 days ago and today it's packed with all the paperwork and ready to ship off, hopefully arriving in time for the deadline 4 days from now.  Whether or not it wins anything doesn't seem so important to me right now, because I've already been rewarded.

I have the joy of finishing a project, of manifesting a creative vision.
I refined and defined for myself aspects of the technique I use in joining small motifs in a freeform manner.
I solved problems in construction. Probably the most important thing that happened for me was moving through moments when normally I would give up. Seriously, yesterday I woke up, knowing I had to complete this piece to ship today, and I felt it just wasn't working. I had a small despair about it. My commitment kept me at it.  There was a magical moment when this piece quite suddenly came together. Magical.

 I have starting points for new projects (my idea list) and a better understanding about how to show up, focus on them.

A big win cake. Any prize will be icing."

The competition is CGOA's 2013 Design Competition.  I can't post any pictures of my entry yet, but wish me luck!


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I can post a picture of a tabard I made in July (and will try to find pics to post of the finished vest I showed in process in a post below.)

This tabard was made of small tri-loom woven triangles in cotton-rich Noro Taiyo, joined and embellished with crochet - mostly slip-stitch and single.

 

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