Cup of coffee in hand, I sit down at my desk. The deadline is approaching and it’s time to get to work. Sometimes I want to do the project. Other times I don’t. I hem and haw and put it off. Sometimes I am so excited to do the project that the work speeds by. I choose supplies with ease. I feel a great sense of joy just to be creating. When I put a project off, it’s because other pursuits are calling my name.I could be playing a game with my family. I could be working on that watercolor painting I started or watching a movie or reading or any of a dozen other things. Whichever the start, whether I struggle or am excited to get to work, the end result is always satisfying. I have a finished project on my desk and it’s ready to share.
A typical view of my desk, working on a layout for Simple Scrapper
Why work with a deadline? Sounds crazy right? I kind of need a deadline. I am the type of person who can be easily distracted. Before you know it, I would have a series of unfinished projects sitting on my desk and in the cabinets. Having a deadline holds me accountable. Helps me to keep going. I do have unfinished projects. The current count for today is ten including a partially made DIY cardboard cat scratcher, a weaving project, crochet supplies (I haven’t picked the project for learning how to crochet yet, but rest assured I have the yarn and needles at the ready),an art journal all about me for the Awesome Ladies Project, a watercolor painting for LifeBook 2016,a notebook to be decorated and turned into an art journal and several others. Being accountable helps me have more completed projects. It gives my creative drive more focus.Being accountable is something I need to be successful. It’s one of the things that I love about Creative Teams but there are many more benefits of being on a design team aside from the accountability of a deadline.
Why do I choose to do what I do? Why create and blog about it? I get asked this a lot. I sometimes even ask it of myself. I could answer it here once again. Reaffirm it for myself and share with you the benefits of being on a design team once more. Having done this recently though ( and feeling a bit on the lazy side today), I am going to share a few resources with you instead. The first is an interview that I did with Gina Karas of California Scrappin’.You Can find it here. The interview is part of a three part series in which she conducted a survey and interviews about creative teams. You can find an interview with Ashley Horton here. I met both Ashley and Gina through online scrapbooking communities and have known both ladies for years. I find that one of the biggest benefits to being on a design team and sharing in online communities are the relationships I make. Yes, getting product is nice too, but that never beats the friendships I have been able to foster. Which leads us to the next benefit of a design team. The compensation. How one gets compensated is often a hot button topic in the creative world. Some do it for the product and some want to get paid. There are pros and cons to both.In Defence of: Design Teams (And How to Make Money from Crafting) is very well written and links up to another article which presents the other side of the compensation debate.
Have you tried out for a design team? Do you have any specific questions about what it’s like to work on creative teams? Feel free to leave your questions in the comments.
