Hi there! Have you ever heard of #The100DayProject? It's a free art project where you explore your creativity every day for 100 days. I first saw it on Instagram a few years back and thought of joining but life always seemed too busy. Finally, last year (April 2018) I dived in and joined!
About the project:
#The100DayProject was popularised on Instagram by Elle Luna and friends in 2013. It started off as a grad school project created by their teacher Michael Bierut. If you would like to find out more about the project here is a link to an article on how it all started. The project takes place online and starts in Spring (2nd of April this year). All you need to do is pick a project that you can do every day for 100 days and post your progress on Instagram with the hashtag #The100DayProject. Following the hashtag also keeps you up-to-date with the #The100DayProject community and meet new people that are also taking part in the project! Here is the link to their official website and more information about the project.
My project:
I wanted to try out the project because I thought it might give me the discipline to do something creative every day, improve my art and be more social on Instagram. My project was to illustrate things I found difficult such as different animals, people, etc. I also thought of using different mediums for each of the subjects to improve my skills.
So, I decided to illustrate one new animal every 5 days for 50-60 days. Day 1 would be a sketch, day 2 would be to use coloured pencils, day 3 gouache paints, day 4 watercolours and day 5 digital. Then, on the remaining days I decided to focus on people, plants or food. My goal for the project was to improve my skills and to post everyday on Instagram.
My experience:
After I’ve decided what to do, I thought “Oh this is going to be easy and I can definitely finish it without breaking a sweat!” But I was wrong! For the first 2 months, it was quite enjoyable. I kept up with my schedule, spending between 1 to 4 hours a day (depending on how complicated the illustration is). But soon after, I began having a hard time keeping up as I was about to move home and my priorities were split. At one point I would think, "Am I being overambitious by choosing a very complicated project?" I still tried to keep up as best I could but before I knew it, I wasn't able to stick to my schedule. I started to skip days and sometimes I ended up drawing or painting anything that I could think of and made it as part of the project, just so I could finish it and not feel like a loser. Because of this, my 100 days were extended into another month, and then another month. Before I knew it, Christmas and New Year passed by and then finally I ended up finishing it in February, which is 10 months after I began! I know, I know, this was very late but I am really glad I stuck at it. If there's one thing I can say that I learned on this journey was perseverance and consistency really pays off. I feel that my illustrations skills have improved and that I slowly started to develop my own style. I also found I gained a little more discipline and focus by doing the project.
What I learned:
So, here's what I learned during my journey:
1. I shouldn't have chosen such a complicated project. I should have made sure my project was more manageable (like quick sketches or simple illustrations). I should have also limited my project to a maximum of 30 mins a day. Less is more!
2. My aim was to learn and get better, but eventually it felt like it was just a task and I was doing it for the sake of just being able to finish it. I realised this wasn’t the purpose of the project and that I should go back and remember why I started it.
3. I missed a lot of days and I felt bad about it, but then I realised that I shouldn't and I should just try again the next day.
4. Self-discipline, perseverance and patience are really important in growing and improving my skills, techniques and style.
5. Having fun and enjoying it will make it feel less like a task and more like journey.
My advice:
1. Keep it simple. Limit your time to a maximum of 30 minutes a day.
2. Plan ahead. Knowing what you want to do for the next couple of days really helps make it easier.
4. When you feel like you're about to give up, it's okay to take a break but always try to go back and remember why you started. You don't need to finish it straight away and it’s okay if you skip a few days. See it as a challenge not just creatively but for building self-discipline.
5. Have fun!
Remember different people have different experiences and ways of working. Find what works best for you and stick with it and remember to enjoy it!
I would love to know your experiences and if you plan to try #The100DayProject. Please comment and share your thoughts below.
If you want to find out more check out the FAQ on the #The100DayProject website for more information and ideas. Also, don't forget to check out the #The100DayProject hashtag on instagram.
You can also check out my #The100DayProject from last year here.
Thank you so much for taking the time to read this!
Have a great day!
Abbey
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