The Process of Creating A Project

How do I come up with projects? Well. . .I'll look at a material or tool, envision what I can make with it, then draw it on paper. I don't make it while I'm thinking about it because it may not come out as I envisioned and I'll end up wasting material which I absolutely hate doing.

The other night, I was thinking about making a box for a set of cards I wanted to make. I took what experience I had in creating boxes and drew up a plan as shown above. It's not very original nor complicated but it fit the amount of cards I wanted to store. After measuring and adding up the measurements (you need a little bit of math skills to create projects), I tried it out and it actually came out as I envisioned. The tutorial of this box is posted on my Card Inspired Blog Site so check it out if interested.

The two project layouts below are stuff I thought up and drew on paper but still need to create. I don't create everything I sketch. . .but it's good to have them for future reference. I think the process is similar to what fashion designers do. They envision a dress in their head, sketch the design on paper, then attempt to make it. Well. . .card design and projects work in the same way.

I'm inspired first and foremost by a material, image, color, or tool, then envision what can be created with these items whether it's actually possible or not. In order to preserve the idea, I draw it out, and if I'm in the mood, I'll try to create it as I drew it. 75% of the time, it actually comes together as I envisioned, 15% needs a bit of modification, and 10% are impossible or impractical. I have a whole bunch of these sketches and I've only created 25% of them. I only create tutorials that I know I can create quickly - the worst thing is to have a tutorial that requires so many steps that it becomes confusing.

Anyway. . .try out this process and see if you can come up with your own unique projects.