Here we are at the start of a new cycle--Happy New Year! Usually January is associated with new beginnings but this year, I'm starting mine off with an ending.
My 100 Day Collage is done!!! 🥳😭
I began last summer during Pride Month and the 100th piece has been added. I'm feeling a mix of joy, relief, contentment, and sadness that it's over!
This is my third project where I added one mark/piece a day to one canvas and they are such a journey! I can never predict how they'll turn out but that's what I think makes it so freeing, fun, and interesting! :)
This whole project actually began as a suggestion from TikTok! I had just finished my 2022 100 Day Project and had every intention of taking a break and taking it easy when I received this comment:
I was SO excited by this idea that I was just like YES, I'M GONNA DO IT!!!
I feel like when you get THAT excited and feel THAT inspired, you need to see where it takes you!
Was it a little bit crazy to begin another 100 day project RIGHT after finishing one? Sure, lol, but thinking of what I could do with pieces of paper was > thinking I wouldn't have the energy/time/capacity to do this.
And so it began! You can watch day 1 here.
I didn't have a particular theme in mind when I made my first piece, but I started with red paper with the idea of going through the colors of the rainbow. I also wanted to incorporate what was happening in my daily life/around me. Since I began during Pride Month, I wanted to tie it into my project so I began getting inspiration from the colors and meanings behind the original rainbow Pride Flag.
As I was posting these pieces, I started getting requests for different flags--this wasn't something I had asked or was anticipating at all, but I thought it was really cool! It gave me a chance to learn more about all the different and beautiful LGBTQ+ flags and interpret them into pieces.
Through the pieces I really wanted to capture the celebration aspect of Pride and how joyful it is! As I wrapped up the month, this led me to my next inspiration--the things that bring us joy.
I really wanted this piece to represent something positive, happy, good. There's so much bad news out there that's already being magnified--and it's not that I think those stories don't matter--but I think it's just as important to emphasize the good. The little things that bring us joy are the things that keep us going and they remind us to help others experience joy too.
And if there's anything I've learned throughout the past few years, it's that 1) we can't stand up for the things we believe in or contribute when we are depleted and have nothing to give and 2) you can experience a range of emotions at the same time and conflicting feelings can co-exist: grief and joy, anger and love, pain and hope. Both these ideas shaped what I wanted this collage to represent.
Since I had gotten requests for flags, it gave me the idea to put the question out there and see if people would share with me: what brings you joy? A big thank you, especially to the TikTok community, for answering!
It was fun, heartwarming, and interesting to read about all the different things that brought people joy and it was incredibly inspiring! I interpreted pieces for music, dance, animals, the way words come together to create a meaning, the smell of coffee, feeling like I finally found the place where I belong, and so much more! I wasn't able to do all the requests but I tried my best!
I reached the 100th day on January 9th and the final joy was from Cait: seeing someone unabashedly be their true selves.
What a beautiful thing, right? I loved this so much and felt it was very fitting as the last piece! This joy captures the spirit of Pride Month and the flags that had inspired me at the start of the challenge. I also feel like our joys are a reflection of who we are and when we share them, we are sharing a really honest and true part of ourselves.
I wasn't sure at first how I could turn this into a piece and thought about it for several weeks! But then an idea came to me about showing our true selves and seeing our true selves in the reflection of a mirror. Here's the video for day 100!
I can't believe it's finally done! These 100 day projects are such a journey and they always feel both long and short to me! At the start, it can seem daunting, like there's such a road ahead but then all of a sudden, here we are at the finish line.
It was a challenge to find ways to capture the spirit of these different joys into 2-D paper form but I truly enjoyed the process and learned so much! It definitely pushed me to try new things and think outside the box! It was also a lesson in composition, color, and layering all of these pieces together in a cohesive way.
You can see how each piece was made over on TikTok and here are a few recap videos:
I feel really grateful that I've had requests and questions about whether I will offer this collage as a print and the answer is--YES! I'll have a limited number of them available. It's currently at the printers being scanned. I should receive a digital proof soon for review. After making any adjustments, a sample print will be made. Then after approving that, the final prints can finally be made!
If you're interested in learning more and getting a print for your space, I would be very honored! You can click here for all the details! I am currently anticipating that they will be ready to ship the week of January 23rd. You can purchase the print now or wait until then.
And if you'd like to do a 100 Day Project of your own, it sounds like the official start date for 2023 will be sometime in late February (you can start at anytime though!) You can find more details here: The100DayProject.org I've also created some free PDFs to help you on your journey, you can find them here:
I can't wait to do this all over again (although I'm looking forward to a bit of a break 😅) and hope you'll join in on the fun!
If you'd like to check out my other 100 Day Projects, here's a round up of those blog posts:
2022-23 | 100 Day Collage