I take on a lot of personal projects, more than I should, I sometimes more than I am able to finish. I’m pretty sure I have a good dozen or so unfinished projects just waiting for a rainy day. I think in some instances the design and creation process is really what I am looking for.
Out of many of my projects I have taken on, only a few stand out as being spectacularly successful. The difference with these projects is that I didn’t jump on them immediately, but I mulled them over in the back of my mind for weeks, if not months, before any action was taken.
The one project was a piece of software I call “DeChaos” which I use to sort the photos I have taken. Rather than use iPhoto, Lightroom or Aperture, I wanted folders to store my images. I wanted image files to be named appropriately as well. I looked at what software was already on the market, tried out some demos, but nothing did quite what I wanted. So I started playing around with an idea. I drew diagrams, decided what the program needed to do, and finally I got around to writing it. It took another several months of revision to complete my program and when I finished it was one of the coolest moments of my life. (The program is actually still incomplete, but I ran into some bugs afterwards that I have learned to live with.)
The other two projects that stand out have both been photography projects. The first one was called “A Study on Studies” and the second is “Liquidated Laptops.” When I first got the idea for “A Study on Studies” I had just three or four ideas. But I didn’t act on my idea. I told myself that I should, but I never felt I had time and I wanted more than just the three or four photos. Over the course of the next year or so, I continued to think back to my idea, make lists, see the photos in my head. By the time I started, I had a really good idea of what I wanted to capture. The same type of story goes for “Liquidated Laptops” although, certain deadlines caused me to work faster.
These two photography projects are probably the coolest things I have ever accomplished. As I look back at them, the time I spent in planning was priceless. I thought about my project, I dreamt about my project and I talked to a few trusted souls about my project. That way, when it was time to act, I knew exactly what I wanted and exactly what I needed to do to accomplish it.
Society and technology today push us to act on impulse. There are some instances when impulsive action is good, perhaps even required. But it is vital to remember that good planning makes things go smoothly. Even if it’s a small or personal project, planning is key.