How to break down (a creative project)

Because I work across a range of creative media, my mind stays constantly bubbling away with ideas. They don’t appear neatly or one at a time; they overlap, wake me from sleep, spring from conversations, or come to mind as my energy levels allow. So, the “finish one thing at a time” concept surely needs to be applied flexibly rather than with rigidity.

I’ve asked a few artist friends how things work for them in reality:

Creative work often happens in phases. You might finish the sketching phase, choosing the colour palette phase, creating a sample design phase, or listing the product phase. “Finishing one thing” might mean one particular piece of a project. One step at a time, towards the whole goal.

It’s about respecting your mental energy and keeping your mind space manageable.

Sometimes a project pesters you until you give it your attention. Maybe you don’t have to devote all of your attention to it. Perhaps you could write the idea down, create a quick sample, pin some fabrics together, or find some inspiration to remind you. You’ll rest easier.

Once the idea is safely captured and “held,” your brain stops panicking that it’ll disappear.

Work on a minimum number of projects, if you can. Rather than “one at a time until it’s finished”, or having 20 projects on the burner at once, try three to six active projects.

Rotate your projects, depending on energy, mood, other commitments, and deadlines.

Reduce the emotional disturbance of unfinished work: I’ve found that unfinished creative work is physical and emotional noise in my mind. For a sense of progress, perhaps complete something small and achievable, (re)organise your workspace, or package a couple of orders. I often write up a retrospective tick list, where I write down what I’ve already achieved, and I get a huge boost of satisfaction at my amazing progress!

Finishing something small provides a sense of achievement and progress, and they release the “background noise”.

My friend’s “delay, delegate, or dump” mantra also fits in here. 1. Delay, put the idea aside in your “future inspirations” file, 2. Delegate, share tasks or simplify processes and 3. Dump, let go of ideas that no longer inspire you.

Creatives accumulate ideas but not everything needs to turn into a product or project.

Best wishes as we zoom towards Christmas. For a fantastic range of handcrafted artisanal felt Christmas gifts, and watercolour images, visit my shop here. Our 2026 calendars are on their second print run and are getting fabulous feedback.

Sara x

P.S. The images below show the phases of creation of two designs of commissioned Aotearoa-themed felt Christmas fairies (with a feather cloak/korowai) . To create one fairy in one sitting isn’t possible, so I break the project into manageable small and achievable steps. You’ll see here a one-flower tunic fairy and a three-flower tunic fairy. Which do you love best? (The feather cloak was such fun to make!)

Each of these commissioned Aotearoa-themed felt Christmas fairies (with a feather cloak/korowai) was created in phases. To create one in one sitting would sap my energy, but when I break it into manageable small and achievable steps, I can do anything! These images show the production line of differing designs (one flower dress or three flower dress).