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Motivation - What's yours?

Posted: Thu May 29, 2014 5:20 am
by brityboo
Okay, so since I have motivation problems myself, recently, and I wondered what you all do to keep yourself motivated, and interested in large projects! They can be tedious, and sometimes stressful and annoying. I've put several larger projects aside because I either get bored, have made too many mistakes, or just don't feel like stitching, period! So, what do you guys do to keep motivated on those large projects?

Do you listen to certain music? Do you keep other works that you've completed around you while you work? I'd like to know!

Re: Motivation - What's yours?

Posted: Thu May 29, 2014 9:24 am
by starrley
I think that taking a break sometimes is good. But when I am working on something, I like to listen to the TV or an audio book. I get wrapped up in the story and the stitching becomes automatic- I'm not so focused on it.

Re: Motivation - What's yours?

Posted: Thu May 29, 2014 10:39 am
by QueenBex
I have a well watched thing playing on the TV, usually documentaries or walking shows, then you can listen tot it and during breaks in the stitching look up to see beautiful or interesting things.
Keeps me motivated to know that most of my stitching is for someone else. Also I challenge myself to just get a section done that day or so many colours in this area etc.

Re: Motivation - What's yours?

Posted: Fri May 30, 2014 1:23 am
by Eliste
Man, this is something I've struggled with for a long time. These are some things I do.

1) I try to keep multiple projects running side by side so that I'm less likely to get to that point of "I never want to see it again." I am more likely to never want to see it again if I work every day on one thing and it doesn't get finished. If I alternate projects, I still feel like I'm making progress, but I also am eager to get back to what I was doing the day before. So I have a cross stitch going, but I am also working on a cosplay, and a baby quilt. Another thing is I do one thing that I know how to do well, and one thing that I am learning to do. That way when I'm frustrated with the new technique, the old feels like a welcome break from having to work so hard.

2) I take breaks from crafting full stop. If crafting is feeling like work, I stop. I'm not doing this as a job, and I want to continue to love it. So when it gets to be a job, I step back until my batteries are recharged.

3) I don't set hard deadlines for big projects. This is both good and bad. Good because it allows me to pick up/put down projects without stress, but bad because it means it does take a long time. This works for me, although I know it doesn't for everyone. It does mean I have to curate my WIPs every so often and keep going back to ensure they don't build up. But often the time they've sat, I've stopped hating whatever it was that I didn't like before. I have learned to stop feeling guilty or putting stress on myself about finishing anything. It's when I do this that I begin to loathe a project.

4) I jump around even inside a project. When I get bored of the background, I go work on the exciting part. When the lots of colour swapping is killing me, I go work on the simpler background. I can give myself a break from the part I'm not loving but still make progress overall.

These are more about preventing myself from getting the burnout. I have a really hard time finding motivation if I have gotten to the burnout stage.

Re: Motivation - What's yours?

Posted: Fri May 30, 2014 1:14 pm
by blackmageheart
Everything that Eliste said is pretty much what I would have said! :D

Re: Motivation - What's yours?

Posted: Sat May 31, 2014 6:28 pm
by Pyper
Have at least two projects on the go. One big and one small. That way when you feel you will never get anywhere you can finish off the small one and feel accomplished.

To avoid starting too many big projects at once (and then never finishing any of them), all the colours for the big one are with it, and I can't use them for anything else until the big project doesnt need them any more. As I have a tight budget I can't just run out and buy more, so its an incentive to finish off part of a big project to start that cute/cool new pattern I just found.

If you made lots of mistakes, or are starting to hate it, put it away for a few months and then come back. It's amazing how a blindingly obvious screwup becomes invisible with a bit of distance. If all your counting is out though, that one takes a bit of creative repatterning and may take a couple of hide-it-for-a-whiles.

Re: Motivation - What's yours?

Posted: Sat May 31, 2014 7:36 pm
by BigDaddyWiz
I agree with all the above suggestions. Personally, I find the size of the project doesnt really bother me as much as the amount of colors involved. I almost 99.99% never agree with the colors chosen for me by any of the pattern making programs Ive used. I always find them darker or just plain off. The more colors, especially if there are similar colors involved, the more time I spend staring back between my original picture and box of DMC threads. I just get tired of trying to find the perfect color and it burns me out after awhile. I try to keep one simple project (few colors) and one intense project (lots of colors) going at the same time. Right now I have one going with 5 colors and one with 64. Having a good show/movie/sport to watch helps me get through the projects. I get a lot done watching sports! Also I find if I break my days/weeks up I enjoy the things Im doing more. I make sure I have time to play the games I enjoy, stitch, and read.