Do you ever find yourself trying to think of things and ten million things start surging through your brain? This is my problem lately.
I have so many things I want to do or accomplish and I just have no idea where to start. Same with my writing. There are so many things that go through my mind to write about but then I can’t figure out which one to do so I just don’t. How do I decide which things to write about? What is my audience interested in? What will bring me joy to write about? Is it worth writing if there is no guarantee no one will read it?
I find this spills out into my crafting as well. I have so many ideas of what I want to do with stuff. How I want to repurpose, what I want to make next, etc. Then I start something, just to start something else, and another…before I know it I have a bunch of unfinished projects that are partially done. The struggle is real.
I think for me, I get excited about something, start it, then life gets busy. Having four kids, it can be tough to make time to do everything in one day. Then you must decide what the priority for that day needs to be. If you have the time for other stuff, it is a bonus. If you don’t, well…it gets saved for another day. Maybe a friend’s birthday comes up and you think of a project you could do for a gift for them. You start on that and it may or may not get accomplished in time. You find yourself purchasing them a last minute gift anyways and you now have another unfinished project.
Another cause of me starting and not having time to finish is that my kids all seem to come up with new projects for me. I want to help them and create something special for them but the time aspect gets in the way. Right now I have two blankets started for my boys that I will talk about in another post but I started one, it is taking me longer than I anticipated to finish and now it is time to start the second son’s blanket. Now I am attempting to stay focused on two of them while my girls are also begging me to make them blankets like the boys. It is a struggle to make them all happy at once.
Parents, do you feel me? Do you feel like you are torn in a million directions to get things accomplished as well as trying to keep the house from falling apart and keeping the peace with the kids? If you have pets, that is a whole other dynamic. They also long and pull for your attention or need for care and maintenance. We have a dog, cat and several chickens who all need to be cared for and cleaned up after.
What I have determined to do with my crafting is not to stress about it but enjoy it. The blankets for my boys will be loved and well used. The ones for my girls will get made in their time. Until then, I will make little things for them like doll diapers and Barbie clothes that will bring them joy in the moment. They will get excited and temporarily forget about the blanket. If that day, I feel I need to change focus, I will. Results of arts and crafts end up much better if your heart is in it. If you love what you are doing.
Similar for my writing. I am not going to stress over what others want to read, if they will read it and enjoy it but rather than I enjoy writing. Writing can be a great stress reliever and a way to express yourself in a way that you maybe couldn’t do in the moment in person. It takes deep thought, re-reading, editing and then attaching images that get the point across to someone else. I enjoy writing when my mind is in this place. I write for me and to express what I am dealing with and feeling. If not another single person reads it, that is ok. It was therapeutic for me and so it served its purpose.
That said, if you would like to give it a shot and write a piece that I feature on this blog, I am willing to give you the avenue to do so. Let your creative juices flow and write a guest post for me. It can be about anything and everything that moves your heart.
Are you someone who starts and finds it hard to finish? Has this been frustrating for you? Have you found a solution that keeps you sane? I would love to hear about it in the comments.