a really great creative challenge / the 100 day project
one year ago, dave & i participated in something called #The100DayProject. it was a pivotal one hundred days for us personally & the lessons we learned through participating continue to stick with us. we set out to flex our creative muscles in art forms that were something different from our day to day of photography.here were our projects from last year, posted daily on instagram:
for 100 days straight, i drew a phrase or sentiment onto a coloured piece of cardstock & wrote a little something about a lesson i'd been learning. #100daysofunsolicitedadvice
(card on right) 84/100 what's holding you back? self doubt. getting too many steps ahead of yourself. fear of speaking up. familiarity. fear of hard work. binging on other people's work. comparison. perfectionism. netflix. that rational part of your mind that says it can't be done, or worse, that it's been done before. whatever voice it is that's holding you back, pick it up by the shirttails & plop it down into a jar, screw on the lid, & let's get to work making the things we care about.
for 100 days straight, dave drew a map of a place that has meant something to him. #100daysof100places(image on right) 75/100 this is the white desert in egypt. we turned off the highway and made "camp" in the middle of this sea of white sand surrounded by giant pillars of coral rock. the jeeps were parked to make three sides of a square and we laid mats in between. we played frisbee and watched the sunset and woke up to a desert fox rummaging around in our garbage. sometimes things are so surreal while they are happening we miss how special they are. i wish i could go back and relive that night again. so i bring this up now, one year later, because the project is starting again -- tomorrow, April 19, 2016 -- & we really encourage you to participate!if you're a creative for a living or just someone who wants to kickstart a new hobby or get back into making art like when you were younger, we really encourage you to participate!! find something manageable (dave's maps did get a little time consuming!), set out everything you'll need (i pre-cut all the pieces of paper to the right shape so they were ready to go) and if you use instagram, participate with thousands of others taking part in the same challenge by posting under the hashtag #The100DayProject. great to keep you accountable & just be totally inspired by all the other projects people are doing.have a go!! you'll be surprised by what you learn, guaranteed. officially it starts tomorrow, but tons join in later too.a little snippet from what i wrote on day 100 last year:
one of the things i've learned over these one hundred days is that starting is one of the hardest parts. i can't encourage you enough to pick something you're interested in & keep a promise to yourself for 100 days straight. you'll learn things you never expected.
have to state it one last time -- this was invaluable for us. one of the best things dave & i have done in our creative journeys. hope you'll give it a try.