Friday Fun Fact: process vs. product

Hi folks, it's me Elizabeth here, and today's Friday Fun Fact is more of a Friday Fun Opinion. Come along, let chat.

A topic we’ve been discussing lately in class is process vs. product. Are you a process creator or a product creator? Let me explain.

At one end of the spectrum is the process creator. A process creator sews (or knits, or paints, or chops logs, or whatever) purely for the enjoyment of doing it. The process of creating is itself enough to keep them engaged. The satisfaction of the doing is its own reward. 

Process creators might still enjoy some tasks more or less than others, but overall, the point of the creating is just in the doing. 

At the other end of the spectrum is a project creator. Project creators could not give a darn about the experience. They want the end result!  Why bother making something if you don’t care about the finished item? 

A project creator might enjoy making, but overall, the making is not the point. The point is getting the thing.

Now most of us aren’t going to fall all the way to either side of this scale. We might rate ourselves as 20% process and 80% product, or the other way around, or a straight 50/50.

Here’s why this matters: understanding your motivations for sewing will inform the decisions you make as a creator. 

A person who leans more toward the process side of sewing might choose a technique based on how much they enjoy it. Do they enjoy the challenge of welt pockets? Or maybe they love sewing lots of long, straight lines. The choice is based on the feeling of the doing.

Someone who’s more on the project side would probably choose the technique that gave them the result they wanted most, regardless of how the experience of sewing it felt. If they wanted a welt pocket, they would make a welt pocket. If the seam finish just has to be serviceable, they probably won’t bother with a fancy one.

Plus, where you land on this scale might change with every different thing that you sew!

In our sewing, we are faced with decisions all the time. Even the strictest direction-follower still has to make choices. Understanding where your motivation lies can help you figure out which choice to make and which path to take. And that will help us all enjoy the process - and the product - even more.