The 1 Simple Change That Helped Me Enjoy Building Projects More Than Ever (even though I was in a creative slump)
Like many, I started making and building projects to solve problems.
When we bought our house, I had a garage for the first time and was curious if I could build anything with my hands. Intuitively, I wanted to build solutions to problems, but had to go through a learning curve. As my skills progressed though, I wasn’t enjoying Making things as much as I had when I started.
The novelty of creating a solution to a problem wore off, so how could I get the creative juices flowing again?
The 1 Change: I Started Theming My Projects
I am a huge Disney and Star Wars nerd, but with a single exception, I was separating my obsessions from my build projects.
I was so focused on the usefulness of a project that I neglected how it looked. I didn’t like sanding (like many) or finishing because they both took time away from solving another problem. To adjust, I went the opposite direction and started only making themed projects.
However, something was still missing and I had taken the 1 change too far.
I Needed To Solve Problems AND Theme Them
Looking back, my incorrect belief was that all projects were either useful or looked cool, but not both.
Fortunately, I discovered that I didn’t need to swap solving problems for themes, but add themes into the mix. I didn’t like the themed projects after a week or two if they just didn’t serve a purpose. I have found that the problem solving helps work the logical side of my head while the themes work the creative side.
Together, they are completely what I want to be as a Maker.
