Stage 09 of 9
Reflect
What did this project teach the next one?
The project isn't finished when it's hung; it's finished when you know what it was. Write it down while the work is still warm. Every project seeds the next.
Prompts to sit with
- 01What surprised you — in the making, in the viewing, in the response?
- 02What would you keep and what would you refuse next time?
- 03Which of your instincts were right? Which were flattery?
- 04What is the smallest thread from this project you want to pull on next?
Small practices
- Write a one-page project post-mortem within 7 days of finishing.
- Update your portfolio and statement while the language is fresh (Appendix L).
- Choose the next Spark deliberately, informed by this one — return to stage 1.
Follow one project throughAn interactive daf — A contemplative reader that keeps the argument — traced through all nine stages, in progress.A running example, one entry per stage. Click to expand.
The honest questions, asked after: did the grammar earn its place on the page, or was it decoration? Did anyone read the centre column to the end? Where did the eye go that I did not intend? What would I cut if I could only keep half the marginalia? The next spark is already visible from here — either a second daf (does the system generalise?) or a retreat to the single page (was one enough?). Choose deliberately.