Project Make Begins!

I've been really excited about this and I've kind of kept a lid on it, but now it's time to let the cat out of the bag, to release the canary from the cage, to free Willy, to--
Calm yourself, Jess. Deep breath. Tell the people what Project Make is. 
Right, okay! Here we go!

Project Make is a personal commitment to excellence in the textile and visual arts. Over the course of 2015, participants will choose projects that are challenging and produce works that are of the highest quality.  Projects can't have been started prior to January 1st, 2015, and must result in a tangible object. If you would like to play along, tag your project with #projectmake on Instagram, G+, or in Ravelry, or you can drop a comment here at the blog about something you are producing that is challenging to you in some way or that demonstrates the best of what you can do.

By the end of 2015, this commitment to excellence will not only help us to produce better works, but will help us be better ourselves. Maybe we're not going to the moon or winning an Olympic medal, but we're gaining confidence and fighting stagnation. Maybe I'll make three things this year, maybe I'll make thirty, but by the end of 2015, I'll know I've done my best work. I was going to quote something profound from some great author or philosopher about facing challenges and doing your best, but really, the words that really expresses what I'm trying to say come from my junior year high school English teacher:

"Don't go out with your curlers in."

In other words, don't save your best for a special occasion. Shine your light every day. Wear your fabulous hairdo to the grocery store. Make your best stuff and if it doesn't turn out as awesome as it could be, learn from it and do better next time.
There are going to be days when you just don't want to get out of your pajamas and that's okay. The idea is not to kill yourself to produce masterpieces or to beat yourself up about mistakes, but rather just to do the best you can do this year.

As an extra added bonus, my Project Make items are going to go up for sale on Etsy at the end of the year and you'll have an opportunity to own a piece of the action.

Follow me on Instagram @delphinianjess
on Ravelry as Delphinian
and on G+ I'm +Jessica Matz