Have you noticed a lot of creatives posting about #the100DayProject this year and wondered what everyone is up to?
I discovered this project last year, two days into the 100 days, and decided to jump on the bandwagon. I lasted 41 days, but was quite proud of what I achieved. My “mistake” was making it too complicated.
So, what is #the100DayProject? Choose a creative project. Keep it simple. Do it every day for 100 days. Share your progress via socials with the hashtag #the100DayProject.
I decided to try again this year with the goal of hitting the full 100 days. So, I’m keeping things super simple. My project is to just paint every day. To experiment with paint, to play with texture, color, substrates, but mostly to have fun and just practice. I already see so much growth in myself and I’m not quite at the halfway mark. I’ve taken chances I might otherwise not have attempted. I’ve also discovered the need to step away. If I get laser focused I can no longer see the piece objectively. So, I walk away for a night or two. Then I can come back to it and take another look. Sometimes I need that space to be able to see the beauty in a piece. Other times the distance gives me a new perspective and to find a new direction to go in. The results aren’t always great, but what I’m learning is you have to allow yourself to make bad art to get to the good stuff.
#the100DayProject Origins
The project started as a workshop for graduate graphic design students at the Yale School of Art. Professor Michael Bierut led his students in a workshop he called The 100 Day Project from 2006-2011. The workshop was simple: each student chose one action to repeat every day for 100 days. In 2014 Elle Luna and friends brought it to Instagram and in 2017 Lindsay Jean Thomson started co-leading with Elle. This year marks their 11th year!