that face explained it all. a flat face always does, right? it's essentially the equivalent of hearing *crickets*. the more interesting thing is that i had this exact thought the other day while i picked up that 2nd sock (which only had an inch left to go on it, by the way) to finally finish it. it's been at 95% complete for over a week. what the, what the?! frankly, i'm sick of looking at it, and i'm itching to start a new project already. what are my issues with completing projects? if i have a list of chores, no problem, i will knock them out in record time. if i have an assignment or a project due, i can work quickly under the pressure of a deadline. when it comes to completing say, knitting or sewing projects, it seems to take an eternity to get something completed. usually, i blow through the beginning of the project, and then i'm left dangling on the last bit. which leads to the subject line "production/process/pre-process" and where any of us fit in regards to getting things done.
hubster thinks i'm a "middle" person, meaning i like the middle parts of everything. occasionally, he's a pretty sharp guy, he's definitely on to something here. i will go out of my way to cut the centers out of most foods - pizza, cinnamon rolls, a loaf of french bread, the middle of a container of ice cream... now that that's in writing, i'm a little weirded out! hahahaaaa! interesting. but yeah... apparently i am a tunneler. don't ask me why i do anything. my response will always be "because i can." digressing per usual.
production folks, are the folks that always seem to be the most... well, productive. these folks work fast (sometimes too fast) blowing the rest of us out of the water. they are always working on something (or better yet, finishing something!), banging things out left and right, starting projects as quickly as they are finishing others, but dammit if they don't make the rest of us feel a little inadequate because they come off (occasionally) as overachievers. production people occasionally come off as antsy and impatient, and i've noticed that if they make a mistake, they sometimes are reluctant to fix it. doesn't matter, they will for the most part continue through as planned and then complain about the mistake after the project is done. this is the hubster. and yes i am calling him out on this! my response to his mishaps is usually, "well... measure twice, cut once" and his response is usually a side eye. lol!!! no one likes a smart arse! oh, and his favorite response from me is usually, "good luck is a result of good planning." one of my favorite quotes from a fortune cookie. those fortune cookies i tell you, just filled with useful nuggets ;)
at any rate, production people do tend to annoy me a little, i'll admit it. i know, the list of nouns that annoy me seems endless, but seriously production folks annoy me. not because i'm mad or envious that they are productive. not in a mean, i can't stand you way either. it's really more of a "stop magnifying that sinking feeling that i'm not using my free time wisely!" ugh. no one likes to be called out on their issues with free time management, right? but... production people are the ones who most people seem to hold in highest regard because they get things done, and they are also one of my biggest sources of inspiration. annoyance is my best motivator. if you look at the blogs i have in my google reader (i know, you can't at the moment, just play along with me here), you will see how production folks dominate the very long list of blogs i follow. they are a great kick in the rump for me. when i finish drooling over all the lovely finished objects this group has produced, and after i have picked my jaw up from off the floor, i actually get stuff done. go figure. so thanks for the motivation production people! the kick in the head is greatly appreciated.
and to the next group: the process folks.
process folks... ah... these folks are funny. every group is funny to me though. these individuals just like the process. isn't this easy? the name explains it all. process people typically like the stages of working on something - maybe they like researching materials, researching construction techniques, swatching/making samples/mock-ups, they like the sounds/smells associated with the activity, how they feel while they are doing said activity, the act of "doing", they love seeing it all come together. it's not about how quickly something gets done/the destination, it's all about the journey. process folks do finish projects, but it seems that the finished product isn't as enjoyable as the steps it took to get there, and occasionally, they will take their time getting there. process people also have a tendency to go back and fix mistakes, because after all, there is an important lesson to be learned in a mistake! maybe you are reading this as being a perfectionist. don't know if that's the right diagnosis. i just think this group is really concerned with the details, and the stages of their project, and they really enjoy each step of product development. oh, and these folks love talking about and sharing there process. many like to keep a journal of each step (usual by photograph, blogs, notes, etc).
and last, but certainly not least: pre-process people.
pre-process... well, good luck with this group of people. these folks crack me up, and occasionally a "would you just shut up and DO something already" or an "actions speak louder than words, sucka" or a "yeah, yeah, yeah" slips past my lips. lol! my bad, i apologize in advance. all with love of course. i'm not mean-spirited. but for real, shut up and produce, damn! put that money where your mouth is! this group here, lawd have mercy... they plan like it's going to be the last project on earth! they seem to really get a kick out of many of the same things the process folks enjoy - researching, planning, swatching/sample-making, etc - but damn if they don't take this ish to a whole other level. and who doesn't know these folks, right? they are commonly the ones always talking about what the are going to do, what their future plans are, what they need to do in order to get started on something, how they are going to execute each step, yet we never see them actually finishing anything! what the?! and when confronted, there seem to be so many
lots of folks out in the blog world have already written ad naseum on this topic already. that was just my random take on it. you can thank the hubster for this. this particular post by flying pig knits was rather funny. question #3, had me laughing. particularly answer e. hahahaaaaa yeah. i know these folks. they are the ones mentioned above ;) i do love you pre-processors to pieces, you know!
anyway... aren't many of us a combination of a couple (or all of these) when we need to be?
i do find that when i'm in production-mode, i'm not enjoying "the work" (because that's what it feels like) as much. my last production product was the saroyan shawl which was a christmas gift. the process was fun, but it flew by so quickly, that i really felt like i didn't have enough time to enjoy it as much as i normally would have. deadlines occasionally kill fun. on the flip-side, i get impatient when i'm in process mode... i can hear myself now, "can this be done already, i'm just not enjoying it anymore" and pre-process... this stage basically is where all my dreams come to die. this stage makes me extremely impatient and it makes projects feel daunting because in this stage, i have to time to overthink everything to death. most projects being created in this stage, die a fast death. they very seldom come to fruition. a big problem with overthinking, right? so yeah... where do i fit? as stated above, i'm really a combination of them all, depending on my mood that day.
last week, i was all production.
continued in pt 2, because damn this is long! your eyes will thank me later!
