Procraftination
Following creative detours
A few weeks ago I visited the Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive (BAMPFA) to experience the exhibit Routed West: Twentieth-Century African American Quilts in California. It features quilts from Eli Leon’s epic collection of nearly 3,000 quilts made by African American artists, which he bequeathed to BAMPFA in 2018. One hundred of them are featured in the exhibit, grouped thematically by curator Elaine Y. Yau.
The exhibit was amazing. The colors and patterns were electric. Each quilt held so many stories. There was a section of the exhibit that showcased quilts made by several members of the same family, side by side, and while each was unique, you could see the cross-generational similarities between the makers and the collaboration between them.
I left the exhibit buzzing and completely inspired by the craftsmanship, history, and connection behind every quilt.
So inspired, in fact, that I stopped at my favorite local fabric store on the way home and bought small pieces of fabric so I could create my own miniature quilts.
The busy trap
The thing is, I’m busy. I don’t have kids and I work part-time as a consultant, yet I somehow manage to fill every hour with Practice, projects, obligations, volunteering, and non-profit boards, etc. The week after the quilt exhibit, I was co-hosting a party for eighty-seven people, making a DIY costume to wear to that party, helping to launch a software beta for a client, and facing a looming crafting deadline. And there are only so many hours in the day!
But I couldn’t ignore the pull.
The quilts had sparked something, and I knew I needed to honor it. So I made a tiny quilt. And then a few more. And then some throw pillows to round out the textile assortment for the miniature store I’m building.
A few years ago, I would’ve ignored that feeling. I would’ve told myself I should be crossing things off my to-do list, not adding new ones. But I’ve learned that when I feel drawn to make something, it’s usually worth doing so.
Like when I felt compelled to make a giant skull a few years back. I had a blast, and it ultimately led me to co-found Practice. While I don’t always launch a startup as a result of indulging my creative whims 😅, I consistently uncover new things that lead me to unexpected places. Even when a project doesn’t “work,” I always feel glad I tried. There’s satisfaction in simply following that spark. Having the feeling of “I want to do this”—and then doing it.
Embrace procraftination
When I’m deep in a creative project, I usually keep a list of milestones I want to hit and the steps it’ll take to reach them. But sometimes—like with my tiny quilts—I “procraftinate.” I veer off and start a new, semi-related, and typically not mission critical project instead. It might sound unproductive, but I’ve realized that creative hobbies aren’t about efficiency or output. They’re about intuition. Getting sucked into something that you’re excited about leads to focus, curiosity, and flow, which spills outside of the craft mat and into your broader life. And working on multiple projects at once can actually be really helpful!
After finishing my tiny quilts, I of course had to build a tiny quilt ladder for them to hang on in my miniature store.
But to fit in the quilt display, I had to rearrange my planned shelves and rethink the layout of the scene. It took a while, but I ultimately landed on a whole new approach to shelving and “merchandising” in my tiny store. Had I not gone to that exhibit, and upended my craft to-do list to make tiny quilts, I never would’ve made the adjustment. And now I can’t imagine the store diorama any other way.
That’s the beauty of following inspiration. One small detour can lead somewhere new and great.
Following those impulses has become a reliable source of joy in my life. And the quilt exhibit reminded me that inspiration rarely arrives at convenient times—it interrupts, insists, and invites us to make something anyway.
I share all of this as a reminder to myself, but also to you: when you feel that creative pull, follow it. You never know where it might lead.
Break the fake rules. Indulge your whims. Make the time. Procraftinate.
Life’s too short to ignore inspiration.