Kelly Spenhoff

15. That’s the number of projects I have going right now. And that’s just knitting and crochet. I also have other craft projects and home projects started. There’s a 100% chance I’ll start something new before I finish one of the things I already started.

This is how I like it.

My brain is overflowing with ideas. Picture a cartoon version of me with my brain exposed at the top. Cascading down my long magenta hair are cartoon icons of at least 50 different things I want to make or do. They’re pooling on the floor around me. There is no universe where I finish them all.

I’m fine with it.

I decide where my creative efforts go. Not every project needs to be completed to serve a purpose. Sometimes working on something just long enough to see how it takes shape satisfies my curiosity. Sometimes I start something and it doesn’t go how I thought it would, so I scrap it. Sometimes I don’t finish in time for the event I wanted it for, so I move on. Sometimes I’m just itching to start something new. Starting is exciting. 

I also restart projects constantly. If I really want to own the final version, I’ll restart as many times as I need to for it to match my vision. It’s worth it. I have yarn for a knit wrap that I’ve knit and ripped out at least five times. At this point I’m pretty sure the next time I pull it out I’m making a sweater instead.

It used to make me feel like a slacker when I didn’t finish something before starting something else. The urge to start is so strong. When an idea hits me, I put my hands on it. Once I noticed the pattern, I learned something about myself.

I am not a craft factory.

I am a creative human being and I choose my vision over productivity.

Starting new things fulfills me just as much as finishing things does. The act of making is worthwhile to me regardless of the outcome. I learn from the things that don’t work out. I enjoy the time spent either way.

I’ll keep starting any project I’m curious about, and I’ll keep choosing which are worthy of finishing.