It’s Time To Hit It

My favorite playa projects were all started around this time of year. There is just enough time to visualize, begin work, screw up, fix it and complete it. I’ve pulled off things that were beyond my skill set, that took twice as long as I’d hoped, that were my most rewarding creations.

Here are some of my playa pro-tips:

If you’ve got a flicker of an idea, head to the supply store now. Walk the aisles. Let the materials come to you. Fabric stores are a lightning field of inspiration for me. Bonus: buying supplies now will help offset the costs that accrue in the lead-up to the playa.

Simple, cheap and clever: I swiped this mantra from a friend who is a real do-er. Good stuff.

Schedule project time during the week and not just big weekend pushes. An hour here and there really adds up. If you’re able to cut and measure in one night, you’re that much closer to being finished. Chipping away at the steps makes projects more approachable and less tiring.

Double the amount of time you think the project will take. I have a bad habit of convincing myself that because I’ve done something before, I can do it in half the time now. This is magical thinking.

One project at a time! If you work on one thing at a time, you are more likely to have a finished project instead of a pile of junk and two half-dones that you’ll “finish on the playa.”  In my experience, finishing things on the playa does not work out because I’d rather be riding my bike checking out your art than sitting in camp finishing mine.

If you start now you may just pull off that giant scented candle/DJ booth/dancefloor/actual working candle.

Cheers to finishing early.