enJOY it by Elise Blaha Cripe

tips for success with long-term projects

I still can't get a post together about MAKE29. That was such a big project that I don't know where to begin (or end), but I thought it would be helpful to just talk generally about why I think that long-term project (it was about 15 months if you include the planning period) worked. No matter what you're perusing, I hope these concepts will help you get started, power through and finish strong.

Set a deadline. Any project (but especially one that will take awhile) needs a deadline. There's that expression "a goal is a wish written down" but I would add "a goal only works when you have a set 'accomplish by' date" (wow, that's catchy!). "I'm going to climb Everest someday!" is a bucket list item. "I'm going to climb Everest by 2019!" is a plan. SET A DEADLINE. Something realistic (not tomorrow) but also something you can schedule (not 30 years from now).

Come up with deadlines within the deadlines. I am convinced that the reason MAKE29 worked was that I had 12 solid deadlines within the year. I didn't say "I'm going to launch 12 product editions this year!" I said "I'm going to launch 12 product editions on the 22nd of each month this year." There is a HUGE difference. The second phrase kept me committed to a plan. It kept me on schedule. It also kept me balanced. A month was enough time to re-group between editions but it wasn't so long that I started to get distracted by other projects.

Build the house first. The second reason MAKE29 worked is that I had a solid foundation built when I started. I had a logo. I had set promotional pieces. I had a website with a simple repeating template in place. I had a newsletter draft that just needed minor edits. The house was built before I started the project and all I had to do was "decorate a room" each month. I wasn't trying to reinvent the wheel from scratch 12 times and that made a huge difference. At the start of a project, you want a real plan sketched out that makes you feel comfortable.

Be flexible. And of course, despite the best planning things will change. At the start of a Big Project, I like to have an idea and concept but I like to be sure I have built in some flexibility. You don't know how it will go over. You don't know if your timeline is manageable. You don't even know if you're going to like the project in 6 months! Leave yourself plenty of room to knock down a few walls in your house and grow.

grab a goal tracker here.

Document your progress. This doesn't need to be public (though I tend to think making public declarations is helpful) but you have to keep track of how things are going. This could be as simple as a google doc or paper calendar. This could be as complex as a daily video check-in. Do something to chart how you're moving along and be sure you're staying on track.

Celebrate successes along the way. Part of the reason why I think deadlines within deadlines and documenting your progress is so important is that it gives you little post markers to acknowledge as you're moving along. Big projects are rewarding at the end, but they are not nearly as rewarding as you expect. The work and the process can really be the best part. I like to recognize that and enjoy it. Celebrate at 10% complete. Celebrate at 50% complete. Do what you've gotta do to stay motivated throughout.

Want more on this topic? I have had two great podcast guests share their experience working through big projects. Listen to Chris Guillebeau here and Astrid of Red, Red, Completely Red here.

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And this week on ELISE GETS CRAFTY I am chatting with Beth Penn, founder of BNEATO Bar about getting organized. I could talk organization all day so this was a fun one. Subscribe or stream here!

Since writing this post, I created Get To Work Book! It's a day planner + goal setting workbook that is designed to help you take your big goals turn them into something real. Learn more and shop the brand here.

Other posts you might enjoy:

• on motivation
• time spent consuming vs. creating.
• more thoughts on "balance."
• creative books I always return to. 
• small business resources.

LIMITED MISPRINTS & SALE PRICES

I've reduced the prices on a few MAKE29 editions (FYI : flamingos, goal trackers and abstract prints will be staying at the same price for the foreseeable future!) and listed a few misprints of the MAGIC letterpress and DO YOUR BEST stamped prints. Quantities are dwindling, if you're interested, be sure to grab now.

Click here to shop the sale.

Thank you, as always, for your support.

JANUARY MAKE29 : behind the scenes.

WE MADE IT. Edition 12 of 12. Here we go.

This month I am selling original abstract paintings and prints of these original paintings.

It's quite likely you're thinking, "you painted 29 paintings?!" or "you painted 290 paintings?!?!!?" and the answer is a giant "NO." and "NO squared."

I didn't. I failed. Or you could call it "copped out." Or you could call it "quit early." Or you could call it "made the right decision."

While I was 29, I painted 18 abstract paintings. Which is 11 less than the 29 I thought I could paint.

The kicker though is that I am only selling SIX abstract paintings.

Here's what happened:

First, please understand that I consider myself a crafter. I MAKE STUFF. I do not consider myself an artist. This is not a modest, bashful or "fishing for a compliment" statement. It's the truth. I just love to make. Over the years I have painted, not to be an artist but to play with paint. I made this giant lyric art that's still one of my favorite things. I made a ton of abstact paintings that totally sucked. I made this painting that hangs over our fire place. I made these paintings that hang on our living room. And there's a giant painting that hangs in our bedroom and one in my office. I love all of these paintings and they were the reason why I thought I could paint 29 more and - gulp - sell them.

A funny thing happened when I decided to paint for money and not for display in the Elise Blaha National Craft Museum. It got hard. LIKE SUPER, almost numbingly hard. I over-thought. A lot. And it showed. I tried to under-think and that also showed. I struggled. Massively.

But I had a year. I had time to push through this creative struggle. And there were wins admist the awful. There were wins against the moderately okay. I fell in love with a few of the paintings. So in love that I couldn't imagine selling them. And that's when I knew it would be okay to sell them.

That became my barometer. Did I love this too much to let it go? Okay. Then it would it be okay to actually sell it. I can't sell something I don't want myself.

I realized in December I was never going to get 29 paintings I loved enough to keep. I mean, MAYBE I could have, but I wouldn't have ate, slept, watched True Detective, cared for Ellerie, sold a December edition of MAKE29, wrote for the blog or laughed. So I resigned myself to 10, which felt doable.

Then, Monday, January 5th, I was talking to my mom on the phone. It was 4:30pm. Ellerie was pulling everything out of my office cupboards. We were in that hour before Paul gets home when everything feels upside down and I've developed a low-grade headache. I was mixing paint. It was getting dark (not ideal painting light). I said to my mom "I still have to finish two damn paintings by tomorrow [to drop off to be scanned in time for promo]."

"Elise," she said, "Why? Why do you need ten? Sell what you have."

I mumbled something about expectations and angrily smushed (technical term) my brush around in the paint.

We hung up and I scooped up Ellerie and looked around the room, where I had been hanging all my paintings, and knew she was right (as mom's are apt to be). I didn't have to sell ten. I didn't have to sell ANY. But there were eight I liked and there were six I adored. And so those were the six I'd sell.

I slept like a rock that night.

Painting, I realized throughout this year, is HARD. This was by far the hardest edition for me to create and I didn't even succeed. This habit takes a level of connection that you can't always force. It takes a block of time that you don't always have. It takes a decent amount of natural light that doesn't always exist. It takes work, of course, but it also takes a frame of mind and emotion. It's more than a love of color. It's, well, I still don't know what it is, but it's a lot.

I'm glad I tried though. I learned more through this struggle than from some of the successes. I ended up with six pieces of art that I really love which is six more than I had on February 22nd.

So today, I am excited to share them with you. (Here is the official MAKE29 page.) There are six acrylic on canvas abstract originals that will go on sale on January 22nd. You can see them all here. Pricing these sucked. I have no track record with paintings. I have no background in painting. I don't plan or want to be a painter long-term so it's not like I have to worry about under-pricing or over-pricing my future self. I also have an intense love for them and don't want them to leave my house. As you can imagine, this made me fluctuate between prices like $30 and $8,000. I googled. I questioned. I tried various formulas and got various results. I compared and contrasted. 

But ultimately I just decided to sell them all (various sizes and various level of personal obsession) for $290 each - that includes shipping to the US.

Each of these paintings has been professionally scanned and I will also be selling limited edition large giclee prints in quantities of 29. The giclee prints are beautiful (all thanks to my local printshop). If you purchased a flamingo, you've seen this quality already. It's hard to capture via photo, but it's beautiful. As a hail Mary finish and because I really love these, I am releasing editions of 290 of smaller 8x10s and 12x12s giclee prints. The photos right above and below this block of text are of the print samples.

On one hand, this is an awkward, anti-climatic & really complicated way to end this project. But on the other hand, it's a solid send-off. I did what I set out to do: I experimented. I pushed myself creatively. I learned something. I kept my business running. I got to make stuff.

I'm sure I'll have much more to say on this topic soon, but in the meantime, my sincerest thanks to you for following along.

december MAKE29 : behind the scenes.

I am so excited to share more about the eleventh month of MAKE29 with you today.

It's shocking that we're already at month 11 of 12. But as this edition will tell you...big things happen one day at a time. And it's been 299 days since this MAKE29 launched.

When I set out on this project I (purposely) didn't think things through all the way. I didn't think about the fact that 12/22 is three days before Christmas and NOT a huge online shopping day. I didn't think about much, actually. (Including what a hassle unique coupon codes would be.)

So this past fall when it came time to get a plan in order, I was stumped. What do people need in late December? What do people want in late December? A nap for sure. But how will I ship it? ;)

And then I remembered the calendar I used in 2010 to track my workouts. It was a simple calendar with 365 boxes. Each day that you completed the activity you checked the box. It was HUGELY motivating. Not because I was able to see every day checked off, but because I was able to see the whole picture. This is what I had to say about it (in this post) after the year was over:

"I kept that paper chart (and it's spelling error) with me through three moves (remember, we spent two months in Sacramento before coming down to San Diego) and diligently maintained it. At the end of a week, I might have been bummed that I only got to the gym once, but by the end of 2010, I felt like I had really accomplished something. I could see how many days I had made an effort overall. Even better, I was inspired to do more in 2011."

I really believe that progress is better than perfection because progress is something we can strive for. Progress is motivating. Perfection is paralyzing. This calendar's goal is to encourage you to pick ONE THING for the year. Something you can attempt to do everyday. And then this calendar will help you track it and hopefully remind you that there is a much larger picture to see here.

My personal daily goal is to have dinner at the dining table as a family every night in 2015. It's SO MUCH EASIER to just feed Ellerie at the counter while we're prepping "adult" dinner and then for Paul and I to eat in front of the TV after she's gone to sleep. (It's fun too.) But I would rather we carve out that together time. I want to establish the habit now before Ellerie remembers anything different. I'll be hanging this calendar in our kitchen and checking off every day we make it work.

For fun, I wrote out a list of 100 ideas of things you could do daily. It was shockingly hard to come up with this list but they are all such simple things. (#35 is a nod to Ross, obviously. #pastepants)

So that's concept. Let's talk production.

My original plan was to print 2900 of these. Seriously. I wanted a ton because I wanted a ton of people to be able to try out this idea. And then I thought about the logistics. 2900 envelopes. 2900 mailing labels. 2900 packages being shipped out (and obviously, these would only be issues if I actually sold 2900 prints which was a gigantic issue in itself).

So I scaled back to an edition of 290 and decided to have them letterpress printed. And I also decided to offer a digital download of the same file in .PDF form for people who just wanted use the calendar but didn't want the letterpress and/or were international and didn't want to wait for shipping.

The letterpress prints are limited to 290 but the digital download is totally open.

To up the incentive for actually purchasing the physical product, I'm including a fun 3x3 sticker that has the same message AND I am including the downloadable file. (So you'll get a letterpress print & sticker in the mail and a digital print in your email inbox.)

The .PDF can be printed as many times as you wish (though please not re-sold or shared digitally on a blog or website). Maybe you have a friend who could use a jumpstart? Or a habit your kids want to try? Or something different you'd like to do daily at work? There you go. You've got a back-up copy.

The last part of this behind the scenes, is that my original 290 letterpress prints, in classic Elise fashion, had a typo. I left an "R" out of "progress" which would only be more appropriate if it had been left out of "perfect." I spent so much time making sure those dates and numbers were correct that I didn't pay enough attention to the text. #awful

The saving grace here is that I hadn't gone with the 2900 and didn't have to get 2900 reprints (there would have been many tears instead of face-palming if my mistake had been that costly). The new version is typo-free and ready for you to mess up with your sharpies, markers, pencils and ball-point pens.

WHEW. That's so many words about one simple product. I tend to get VERY WORDY at the end of the year. For a professional goal-setter, the year's end is the finish line and that makes me giddy. On January 1 we get to take a deep breath and start all over again. I hope you'll consider bringing a new habit to the starting line with you.

Letterpress calendars will be available for $8 and the downloadable file will be $4 here on 12/22 at 10am PST.

Progress > Perfection.

November MAKE29 : behind the scenes.

TWENTY NINE KNIT BLANKETS. Sure thing, I'm in.

I came up with MAKE29 in September 2013. By December I was knitting my first blanket, with the plan to have 29 done by the following fall. I don't remember if I thought it would be hard. Probably not. And let's be clear: this wasn't hard it was just time consuming (and more than a little monotonous). I remember at one point last spring, doing the math and realizing if I knitted just two full stripes (8 rows) every day I'd be done in time to make this a September edition. Obviously, that didn't happen.

knitting with Ellerie on Christmas Eve.

In many ways, these blankets represent MAKE29 for me. They took almost the full year (though I did start before I was 29). They are entirely hand-made. They celebrate a project I had done previously. They were a labor of love and for the most part created while I did things I loved...

knitting a cowl in March because I was so tired of knitting blankets (you can see my current work in progress on the left).

I knitted while I chatted with Paul or my parents. I knitted while I watched Ellerie play. I knitted while I watched the Sons of Anarchy dig themselves into a hole (literally). I knitted while watching Ted meet their mother. I knitted while I watched Olivia Pope create more scandal. I knitted while I watched Leslie Knope get recalled. (There was a lot of TV watched, obviously.)

my mobile knitting station in November.

I knitted while I listened to podcasts and books on tape. I knitted through football games and so many movies. I knitted while walking back and forth, trying to rack up fitbit steps. Knitting is the ultimate in "keeps your hands busy" projects and this edition kept my hands busy.

knitting styles from elise blaha on Vimeo.

So busy that I had to learn a new method of knitting. My wrists and hands ached from the English "throwing the yarn" method and so I taught myself the Continental style out of necessity. Above is a short video where I demonstrate the difference.

Throughout the year, I kept a journal of the colors and the date that I finished each blanket. I finished four in December. I finished one on New Year's Day then four more in January. Four in February, then four in March. Then just six between April and September. You can tell when I was like GO! again in mid-October because I finished the final seven in just three weeks.

Having this journal record is special to me. It makes me wish I kept more "notes" for my projects because it's so interesting to look back at my work flow. You can see from my numerous cross outs and eraser marks that the color plans switched constantly. I decided in July to start repeating some of my favorite color combinations, making 21 different versions total. It was fun to change colors, I was always re-excited about the project just having new yarn in my hands.

It was important to me that each blanket was "branded" and I added a small label to each that states the edition number and MAKE29. If I take away anything from MAKE29 it's that the details matter.

After over 11 months, 116 skeins of yarn and an estimated 160,080 stitches, the result is 29 hand-knit blankets. My original was made as a baby blanket when I first found out I was pregnant with Ellerie so clearly, these would make perfect baby blankets (and are machine washable which is a major pro with kiddos) but they are nice as lap blankets for adults too. They're small (about 3x3 feet) but thick and stretchy and just the right size to throw over your knees.

Thank you for letting me share a bit more about the process. I'm so excited to get these in the shop. You can read more here and they'll be on sale at 8am PST on Saturday 11/22 right here.

Today on ELISE GETS CRAFTY I am chatting with Steven of Future Former Millionaire about gaining momentum for a project. Click here to subscribe or stream the episode from your computer here.