My not-so-ugly sweater origin story

In summer 2022, I started crocheting a shaggy jacket during my two months of Burning Man prep. The plan was to finish it before leaving for northern Nevada, then wear it while biking around the playa at night — a white little beacon in the desert dust.

But as departure day approached, the jacket was still unfinished. I made a choice: pack the yarn in ziplock bags and bring it into the playa dust anyway, hoping I can finish it on the drive up and at camp.

Reality was even less poetic. Despite bringing the project into the dusty desert environment, I still didn't finish in time. The lesson hit hard: I needed to have it be at SOME level of finished before having to ride out, not hope to finish during it.

Instead, I wore my not-done creation as a makeshift poncho, tucked under the straps of my backpack to keep it from flying off while I pedaled through the playa which actually kept me surprisingly warm.

Fast forward to last weekend — December 2025 — and I finally wore that jacket to an holiday party thinking I could get away with it being considered ugly. Because it was, to me. Still unfinished. Still missing fringes I want to add. But now it's an actual wearable sweater instead of a poncho held together by hope and a backpack strap.

Three years. Same project. Still going.

And here's the thing: this never would have happened without my system.

The secret to keeping side projects alive

Most creative side projects die in the middle. You start with enthusiasm, life gets busy, and six months later you find the abandoned supplies shoved in a closet corner, wondering why you ever thought you'd finish.

But this jacket lived in my system the whole time.

When I started planning the jacket in 2022, I didn't just toss the yarn in a drawer. I created a page in my Resource Stories database — the one where I track personal creative experiments that might become something bigger.

I logged:

• The materials I'd already bought (572-700 yards celstial, 132-250 yards sky, 396-450 yards white)
• Supply details (9mm hook, Knit Picks Tuff Puff super bulky yarn)
• The pattern I was following
• Inspiration images
• What I'd learned so far

Every time I picked it back up — whether that was three days later or a year later — I didn't have to start from scratch. The page reminded me exactly where I'd left off. What colors I was replacing that was different than the pattern. What the vision was. Why I'd started it in the first place.

The system didn't make me faster. It made me consistent.

From poncho to party jacket (and eventually fringes)

Over three years, this project lived through:

• Client launches and agency builds
• Creative Flow Academy development
• Holiday chaos and family celebrations
• Burning Man 2022 as a poncho-under-backpack situation
• A December 2025 holiday party as an actual jacket

Is it done? Not yet. I still want to add fringes to add even more warmth. The edges aren't quite finished. But it's alive — still evolving, still getting worn, and still sparking conversations as if it were completely new.

People asked “Did you MAKE that?”

"I did! It's my ugly sweater. Started it at Burning Man three years ago, and I'm still adding to it."

The story made it better than if I'd finished it perfectly in 2022.

And people were quick to correct me that it was not ugly at all, it just was to me because of how much potential I knew it had.

Your side projects need a home, not just a deadline

This is what I see missing for many creatives: a system that keeps your side projects alive between the busy seasons.

You don't need more discipline. You don't need longer stretches of free time. You need a place where your creative experiments can live, breathe, and wait for you when you’re ready.

When you track your side projects in a system like Notion:

• You remember why you started when motivation fades
• You pick up exactly where you left off without mental overhead
• You see progress over years, not just weeks
• Your "someday" projects become "still going" projects without overwhelming what you’re already working on.

My stories database holds dozens of these ongoing experiments. Some move fast. Some take 3+ years. Some are still waiting. But they're all there — ready when I am.

Start your creative experiment tracking

Here's how to create a simple system for keeping side projects alive:

Your 10-minute setup:

1. Create a "Creative Experiments" page or database — one place for all your curiosities
2. For each project, capture:
   • What you're making and why it matters to you
   • Materials/supplies you've gathered
   • Inspiration images or examples and screenshots
   • Current status (what's done, what's next)
   • Notes from each time you work on it
3. Set a monthly reminder to review your experiments — even 5 minutes reconnects you to what you're building

The system isn't about forcing progress. It's about holding space for the creative work that takes time.

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