When I heard about Elle Luna’s call to action to do The 100 Day Project, I knew I had to sign up. The mission: make something – anything – for 100 days, April 6th – July 14th.
I had never done anything of this scope before. Sure, I’ve written every day for 30 days and I’ve also made art for 30 days, but ONE HUNDRED?! That’s a lot. That’s a big commitment.
I decided to do 100 paintings on square paper, 8 x 8. No more complicated than that. Within those parameters I could paint whatever I wanted. Here’s what happened, in ten insights.
1 I loved this commitment. Commitment focuses and grounds me. Being engaged in projects makes me happy and makes it much easier to make art. Be bold. Commit to something and watch your confidence grow.
2 It was fun to experiment. I played with patterns. I did a self-portrait. I loved the freedom to play and explore. The explorations led me to places I wouldn’t have expected. I loved making abstract paintings. Get out of your box every once in awhile.
3 I loved sharing on Instagram. I thrived on the likes. It felt good to be connected to others through my art, to see the impact it had on my IG friends. This immediate feedback loop was a great reason to keep doing something on a daily basis. Our friends spur us on.
4 I had to follow my original impulse. While it is wonderful to receive the love, I also couldn’t make things based on what I thought people would like. I had to keep making based on what felt right for me. Make first for yourself, then for others.
5 I always had time to paint. There was only one day where I made a painting that was ridiculously quick and bad. I literally had no time to do anything better, so I just went with it, whipping out a silly sketch, tossing some color on it. During this time period, I was of course still working with my clients and students.
I also did two major art projects, illustrating a book and doing the wrap sheet for the Two Hands Paperie newsletter. No matter how busy we are, there is always time for our creativity.
6 I am not the best judge of my own output. I tell this to my clients all the time, but I had to keep learning it for myself. One day I painted my hand with my mala beads on my wrist. My inner critic pounced on me as I scanned it in. The voice told me the painting was shallow, trite and not very well done. My critic chided me, saying I needed to spend some time thinking about my art, to develop a deeper reasoning behind what I am doing.
I posted the image anyway. And guess what? People loved it. I got 83 likes on that one. Don’t listen to your inner critic.
7 I could analyze more, but I didn’t want to. For me, making art is a place where I am not thinking. Where my intuition guides me. I cry in art classes where I have to memorize hot or cold or transparent or semi-transparent paints. I really don’t want to know. I want to make art from somewhere other than my thinking, planning, strategizing mind. This may change, but for now, that’s where I am with it. Flow with your intuition.
8 For me, making art is an homage to the things I love in this world. I love drawing and painting the simple pleasures of my world. The cups, the flowers, the plants, the glasses. The simple pleasures of life both ground us and elevate us. My art speaks to that simple appreciation of what we surround ourselves with. Love what you love.
9 Working in a series is fun. That said, I did enjoy the series I started with. I liked having a focus with an idea behind it. It felt good to have a concept behind the lines and colors. Repetition can be empowering.
10 It was fun to do ‘Shelfies’ – paintings of the books I am currently reading. This is a great way to share what I am reading without having to do a book review. I will continue this experiment in shape, color and hand lettering. Trying new things can lead to new ways of making.
In summary
Doing this challenge helped me fall in love with painting more and more every day. I feel there is so much inside me that wants to come out. There are so many things to capture in line and color. I’m just at the beginning of my art career.
This was such a rich experiment. I loved it completely. I will do it again. I wanted to keep going, to continue with a daily project. But like most things, I operate in cycles. And now I am in a different cycle.
What does this spark in you? What’s compelling for you about doing a long-term project like this?
I plan on coming back to read these ideas over to absorb them better, to see how they apply to my work. I love your style. Your flowers are fresh, happy. Makes me smile and ‘you’ come through, you have a style, a pictorial voice.
Thanks Bobbi! I love the idea of a pictorial voice.
Your support is always appreciated. 🙂
I also did the 100 day project, but only posted to my blog. My drawings since 2003 were completely from observation and for many years I did a watercolor in my sketchbook daily. I was reasonably sure that I couldn’t draw from my imagination, so this was my challenge. I was completely surprised that I could draw from my imagination, although it wasn’t easy. And I was even more surprised when midway through the 100 days I created a unique character and he was then in many of my drawings during the remaining days. Friends feel he is ready for his own story!
Oh so wonderful Shirley! Isn’t it great to let yourself be surprised by the creative process? Such a great mystery to be part of, setting aside what we think to be true and letting something else emerge.
Glad you had fun and have a new character in your world. See where he leads you!
I really enjoyed seeing you work on this project! I love that you’re painting the simple pleasures of your life. I also love a long-term project, like the book that I’m trying to illustrate. At first it took some motivation to get me going but now that I’ve finished a few pages, I don’t want to stop! I can’t wait to see how it all turns out in the end. I do have some fear that it won’t live up to my expectations but I guess that’s the critic I have to hush.
Great insights from your work!