Why I Need Advanced Notice For An Art Party

Gabrielle Wood
Aug 12, 2025
2 min read

Why I Need Advance Notice For An Art Party

It's because I'm a creative person, which means I need time for my brain to mull over the possibilities of a party, change my mind, try things out, leave it, and come back to it before I'm happy it's finished. I just can't put something out into the world unless I'm completely happy with it.

Some people would describe this as perfectionism. What I didn't know is that perfectionism isn't necessarily about your way of life but can be about how you approach tasks and challenges. I'm highly motivated and approach my work as if it's the most important thing in the world, which it is, to me. But this approach is also a huge flaw. Because it means I can't just do a blanket one-size-fits-all for every party. I can't just say "oh, another canvas and easel, I'll do it exactly like I did the last one."

Because there are so many things different from the last one. The location, the number of people, what the host actually wants to get out of it, how long I have, the theme, the age group, whether it's a five-year-old's birthday or a corporate team session, etc. Don't get me wrong, I thrive on the challenge of coming up with the best party I can for you. But this is just for you to know that in order for me to feel 100% confident in what I'm presenting, I need notice. I will tweak things until they're right and until my mind stops thinking of solutions to make them better.

This goes for everyone I work with, not just kids' birthdays. Adult parties and corporate events need the same thinking time, sometimes more, because the brief is usually more open and there's more for me to figure out from scratch.

I once had someone ask me how I'm so calm at a party when there's so much going on and I never stop. It's because despite it looking like I've just turned up and it's all free-flow and let's do whatever we want, every single step is accounted for. Even the ones you haven't thought of yet.

I used to think that was what everyone did. That everyone had this constant voice in their head saying "no, do it again," "do it better," "it's not good enough." Apparently that's not true.

So if you're after a party, whether it's for your child, yourself, or your team, plan ahead. I ask for four weeks' notice for exactly this reason: it's the minimum amount of time my brain needs to do its thing properly.

If four weeks doesn't work for your timeline, our DIY party kits are a good alternative, same process art philosophy, none of the lead-time pressure.

Ready to start planning? Get in touch and let's get arty.

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