How I’m planning for the 100 day project
The 100 Day Project starts this year on February 13. I had so much fun last year that I’m planning on doing it again this year. If you’re not familiar with #the100dayproject, it’s a creativity challenge run by Lindsay Jean Thompson on Instagram. It’s pretty much exactly what it sounds like: 100 days of some sort of art or creativity project. Most people share their daily work on Instagram with the tag #the100dayproject but it’s not a requirement. There’s also a newsletter (free or paid subscription) where Lindsay will be sharing daily creative prompts and other perks.
Connecting with a creative community
Although many people do art or writing-based projects, you can choose any kind of project that inspires you. I followed weavers, ceramicists, collage artists, poets. You can make the challenge as easy or as difficult as you want. It’s just about showing up, making something, and sharing in the experience with others. It’s so encouraging to follow along with other creators who are doing the project. I really enjoyed seeing the different projects that other creators chose and how they evolved over the challenge.
How I’m planning for this year
Last year I did 100 days of patterns and textures. You can see it in my story highlights or #ktdoes100days. This year, I’m doing basically the same thing and will be sharing 100 days of patterns. Last year I was just learning how to create pattern repeats and I learned a lot through the challenge. It also helped me to get a better idea of what kind of colours, patterns, and shapes I gravitate towards. This year I’m hoping to be a bit more focused as I want to use the challenge to build a stronger pattern portfolio. I’ve chosen a base colour palette full of the colours I’ve loved and used most in my art over the last year. I’ve also created a list of pattern and collection ideas to give myself somewhere to start. I hope that creating another 100 days of art gives me an even better idea of my signature style.
Making room for flexibility
Although I have a few parameters in place, I feel like the project works best for me with a little flexibility. I want to try some new things like adding texture and illustrating faces (which totally scares me). I’ll allow myself to miss up to 2 days of posting, but then on that third day I’ve got to catch up. This gives me a little flexibility for bad days but still keeps me on track. I can post reworking or recolourings of previous patterns. Make whatever rules will work for you. Set your daily project as something small and totally doable or commit to sharing once a week.
Are you planning on joining the challenge this year? If you are (or you just want to follow along) connect with me on Instagram @ktogeretzdesigns. I’d love to cheer you on!
