WHAT IS THE 100 DAY PROJECT?
The 100 Day Project is starting early this year but I am ready to take it on for the second time! If you're not familiar, here's a little more about this global art project and what my plans are for my 2021 project!
The premise for the 100 Day Project is very simple: pick a creative project, do it every day for 100 days, and share your process online. It's a huge project that thousands of people participate in--it's incredibly inspiring and motivating to be a part of this community and see what everyone is up to.
There are no rules as to what your project is--that is entirely up to you! They range from daily sketches to photography to mini essays to sewing scrap fabrics and so much more! If you need ideas, browse through the #the100dayproject hashtag on Instagram.
WHEN DOES IT BEGIN?
This year, the project will begin January 31st, 2021. There is no set start date, each year has been different. This is the first time it's taking place so early in the year though--it usually starts in the spring!
MY 2021 PROJECT: MEDITATE + PAINT FOR 100 DAYS
My project this year is to spend 5 minutes meditating each day followed by painting 1 stroke onto a canvas.
By the end of 100 days, I hope to have cultivated a meditation practice and have a completed work of art created with 100 strokes/splatters/smears!
This project was inspired by a few things: a meditation paint box that I had not opened since last April, wanting to explore an art form other than lettering, wanting to create a piece of art for my tiny home, and facing my fear of not knowing how a creative project will turn out--but doing it anyway! My goal is to find joy in the process and in the moment--see how I am feeling each day and make a mark on my blank canvas.
For now, I'm keeping my paint colors to just white and black and all the greys the two will make. Other than that, there are no other rules--I am so excited to dabble in painting and try different techniques (especially smearing paint)!
I'll be sharing daily on my tiny home Instagram account since this is art I'll be creating for my space, but I'll also share updates on @Atiliay as well!
TWO TAKEAWAYS FROM PRIOR PROJECTS
I have failed and succeeded at completing a project (both brush lettering projects) and my big takeaway is to make the daily task 15 min or less and very focused!
I found that if I knew exactly what I needed to do and it could be completed in a short amount of time, I was setting myself up for success. On the flip side, if I had to take a lot of time to think or plan each day prior to the task, it slows down the whole process and I lose motivation and inspiration!
It was also helpful and fun to be able to visually see the progress--I used a bulletin board to pin up each day's work and seeing it fill up made me want to keep going until the entire board was complete! If you can do something similar for your project, I highly suggest it!
And posting daily on Instagram also helped to keep me accountable.
JOIN ME!
I invite you to join me and embark on a 100 Day Project of your own! If you like what I am doing and would like to do the same, feel free! If you don't have a canvas or paint, the same thing can be done with a piece of paper and pencils/pens/markers/watercolor you have at home. Take a look around at what you have that can be utilized! You can also order supplies from a local craft store too.
If you create a project and plan on sharing it on Instagram, it's nice to make a hashtag for it so you can have all your project posts in one place. I would love to follow along so let me know what your project is and hashtag if you have one!
Here's to 100 days of creative exploration!