Are You up for the 100 Day Project Challenge?

It’s that time again, the 100 Day Project! The 100 Day Project is a free community project inspired by Elle Luna. There’s no need to sign up, nothing to join. It starts April 3rd, and all that is required is to do something every day for 100 days.

You could write daily for 15 minutes and by the end of 100 days, have collected a serious amount of writing. It doesn’t have to be creative. A friend of mine did a 100-day tidying project. It was cool to follow along.
Challenges can be wonderful for us creatives. They can:

• help us stay focused.
• keep us on track.
• give us much-needed structure.
• can teach us about our medium and about ourselves.
• give us a community of like-minded creatives.

I thrive on these kind of challenges, but only because I make sure they are right for me at the time. I’ve done The 100 Day Project twice – in 2015 (watercolor paintings) and 2017 (painting people). I also did 185 cups series in 2016. Before I leap in and say YES!, I always have to check in with myself about doing them.

See if you fall prey to some of the patterns that can make a challenge more of a mess than a success.
I sometimes take on too much. I love piling on the creative projects. Before I say yes, I take the following steps.
Look at my calendar. What else is happening during that period? I am going to be on my honeymoon in Hawaii and a work retreat in Paris, but those places should inspire the pattern making. I can’t wait to capture the flowers of Hawaii and the architectural patterns of Paris.
What other projects are on my plate? I do have a lot going on now but if I choose something simple, I should be able to do it daily.
When will I do the work? I generally like to start with art, so on days where I don’t have client calls, I can begin in the studio. On client days, the pattern making will be a nice change from the client work later in the day.
Use my questions to make your decision. Do you have the space and time and focus to do this now? April 3rd – July 11th.
I want to be sure the actual work is serving me creatively. I haven’t been making as much art this year aside from birthday cards and the daily self-portrait series. So I’m ready for a creative challenge now. I want to choose something that I’ve wanted to do, that will develop a skill or buff up a weak spot. The portraits I did last year helped me get over the ‘I can’t draw people’ belief.
What 100-part series would serve you now?
Don’t be over-ambitious with the specific project. For this 100 Day Project, I am going to indulge my passion for patterns. I didn’t do enough of them in my other projects and want to play with the inspiration I got from Japan. Choose something that is easy but engaging.
What feels doable for you now?
Doing it for others. Sometimes I take things on because others are doing it and for god’s sake I don’t want to miss anything! But this time, I’m doing this because it’s fun and I like working in a series. I have loved playing with patterns. After my Japan trip I did some Japanese-inspired patterns and want to get back to that. I want to push my creative edge in this way, perhaps with new materials and concepts. I’m excited!
Are you excited/engaged with this project idea?
Sometimes the sharing daily part doesn’t suit me and my goals. Earlier this year, I noticed that for my One True Line series and my self-portrait series, the sharing part really squelched my creativity and originality. I had to stop sharing to be as authentic as I wanted. For this pattern project, I won’t put pressure on myself to share every day. I’ll be on my honeymoon and working in Paris, so while I will do the daily project, I won’t stress out if I can’t post every day.
What sharing style/frequency works for you? Do you need the accountability of sharing daily? Where and how will you share?
Having unclear motivations. It’s always helpful for me to ask myself: For the sake of what am I doing this? I want to be doing art that springs from my internal drive, from my original impulse. I don’t want to do it for approval or to show off. I am doing this because I have been toying with patterns for years and this will feel like a working studio of pattern exploration. Just writing that makes me excited.
What motivates you to do a project like this?
Will you do it? You might be thinking, oh hell no! This is not my kind of thing. I salute you for knowing yourself and honoring what’s right for you. Find out more and join the movement here.  Use the hashtag #the100dayproject.
Help me with my pattern project!
I mentioned some of the patterns I fall prey to in my creative life. I bet you had some in mind as you read this!
For my pattern project, I plan to do abstract and colorful patterns. And I thought it would be fun to depict the patterns that play out in our creative lives. Some of these include checking email many times a day, taking on too many projects at once, and not finishing projects.
What patterns play out in your creative process? Share your challenges below. I may use the pattern to visually make a pattern.
Share your thoughts about doing The 100 Day Challenge below!