52

weeks

Week 51 - The projects that never were

December 25, 2023

This week I looked back at all the projects of the year and a big pile of half-finished projects.

Tools I used:

  • QSpace Pro - a Mac Finder replacement (that I like a lot) to browse through my files

Context

It’s the second last week of the year, and I notice a tension inside me, between the completionist (who says 52 Weeks won’t be done until I’ve posted 52 projects) and the ‘good enough’ realist (heartily nurtured this year) that says 88% of the weeks is enough to count, so it’s time to move on the next challenge. This week’s post is me exploring this dichotomy.

Process

Here’s how I did this year:

  • Weeks: 52

  • Projects: 43

  • Hours: Many

  • Feelings: Proud, Excited, Ambitious, Curious

On two occasions I claimed several weeks for a single project:

I have ~20 unfinished projects in my 52 Weeks folder, varying from spent an hour on to 90% done.

Here’s some of them:

  • A real-time life narrator

  • My personal website redesign

  • 3D printed eyewear

  • Research paper idea generator

  • Building a CNC stool

  • Real time conversation obfuscation

  • A short film in Spanish

  • My animal flow level 1 test out

  • Resin jewelry making

  • Shoulder anatomy exploration

  • Several audiovisual/VJ experiments

  • Face swapping with Peso Pluma

  • A quiz based on quirky features in my old house

  • A physical card game encouraging movement

  • A pop single to release on Spotify

  • An homage to Where’s Wally?

  • An online course

  • A voice notetaking app

  • A VR therapy app

  • A global QR treasure hunt

  • A tesselated multi-panel video of my old housemates

  • 3D printed bouldering grips

  • Parametric design wedding rings

I’m still excited about a lot of these projects. I hope to work on some of them in 2024. If you’re interested in collaborating on any of these, please reach out to me!

[](/images/posts/52w-week-51-the-projects-that-never-were/4e13e8e3-12b3-4a4f-b1a5-521a0d92a493_1456x2226.jpeg< img src=“posts/52w-week-51-the-projects-that-never-were/08a13477-ad24-46f7-be7a-2de1b5ee1ebc_1456x1113.jpeg” alt="" >}}

[](/images/posts/52w-week-51-the-projects-that-never-were/aef3a329-94e2-481b-b6eb-efda6499b5e6_1456x1199.jpeg< img src=“posts/52w-week-51-the-projects-that-never-were/14e5a161-3b1d-4e97-800d-e3439df3bfbc_1456x1313.jpeg” alt="" >}}

Learnings

  • Starting projects is a lot easier than finishing them

  • As I was writing out my list of half-finished projects, for a second I had the thought flash through my head: “Don’t give away all your ideas!”. After sitting with that for a few moments, I returned to one of the main lessons this year has taught me: ideas are easy and infinite, but the process of actually doing them is hard and finite. I will always have far more ideas than time and energy to see one to the end

  • Creativity for me is a bountiful garden overflowing with fruit. Abundance mindset really applies: the more ideas I try, the more that come to me

Next steps

  • Finish some of these