How to Stay Creative with Microprojects
By Joshua on December 12 2008
I slowly sipped the cool liquid energy from a can of Mountain Dew. It would only be a matter of minutes before it joined the school of empty cans surrounding my workspace as a reminder that I was out of creative juice. Caffeine does a pretty good job of keeping me awake. Exercise keeps my blood flowing. But it's microprojects that keep my creative juices pumping.
What's a microproject?
A microproject is a personal project that you can take from idea to basic completion in a weekend or less. You know all those times you think, "Wouldn't it be cool if…?" Those are the seeds of a microproject.
In recent weeks I've completed the following microprojects:
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Wedding Spotter (1.5 days)
An inspiration gallery for the best in wedding design. -
I Heart Comment Spam (1 hour)
A lighthearted solution to blatant self-promotion.
As you can see, it doesn't have to take a full weekend. It doesn't even have to be an hour. All it takes is a willingness to say, "Yes, I'm going to turn this idea into reality."
What microprojects are good for
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You're creating something interesting
The microproject is your idea. You're the one who thought of it. You're the one building it. When you aren't building someone else's ideas, but building your own, the chances of enjoying what you're doing are astronomically higher. -
You're creating something fast
Most of us have been involved in projects that seem to drag on and on. But with a microproject, you can start on Friday and finish on Saturday (or sooner!). Because there isn't a disconnect between effort and completion, microprojects are great for boosting your confidence and energy. -
You're creating something real
It's not just some cool idea you mention to a friend. When you build a microproject, you're putting your time where your mouth is.
The most important point
But the most important point out of all this is that you're creating something. Leonardo wasn't creative because he sat around all day thinking. He was creative because he constantly created things.
That's the real strength of microprojects. They keep you creating. You might not build the next Facebook or Twitter, but chances are you'll create something worthwile.
Now here's the question: What are you going to build? Let us know in the comments!
Thanks to Jarkko for inspiring me to write this post.
What our readers said
I’m creating a skate board design as a bit of a micro project for myself… something I have always wanted to do, just never got around to it! Can’t wait!
I think you’re onto something here, Joshua!
I love quick projects as well, and find myself the most excited working on something that I know I will finish if not in hours, then at least in a few days.
On the other hand, there is a special sense of accomplishment in finishing a big project that you don’t get with a quick one. So, I suppose the perfect solution once again is finding a nice mix of the two: either splitting a big projects into exciting sub projects or having a big project and a number of other quick projects running along each other.
Yeah. Micro projects helps us to be creative. And it’s always good to see something alive which was earlier present only on our minds as ideas.
I like to do postcards, that are silly and designed for a particular person.
The Microprojects is a great idea. Microprojects allow that the creativity flows. The declaration that Leonardo was creative because him created continouously is really very good!