5 tips for success while participating in The 100 Day Project

What is The 100 Day Project?

The 100 Day Project is a free art project that takes place online. Every spring, thousands of people all around the world commit to 100 days of exploring their creativity. Anyone can join. The idea is simple: choose a project, do it every day for 100 days, and share your process on Instagram with the hashtag #The100DayProject. The 100 Day Project starts April 7th, 2020. It is also recommended that you create your own unique hashtag that is relevant to what you are doing and add it to all your posts on Instagram.

what is My theme?

This year will be my fourth year participating in The 100 Day Project. I struggled a bit this year to settle on an idea. I had a few ideas but when I set about to work through them, I had to ask myself if I wanted to do "this" for 100 days.

This year I will be doing #100daysofteabagpapers with the intention of playing and experimenting. My tea bag papers will vary in size and from time-to-time I plan to either mat them or cut/tear them up and make something totally new out of them. By the end of the project, I will have, what will likely be, more than 100 painted and collaged tea bag papers.

I look forward to sharing my creations with you! Curious about how I prepare my tea bags and how I plan to approach the project this year? Check out my video below!

Thinking about doing The 100 Day Project? Here are some ideas to help you have success and enjoy the process.

1. write it out

Why do you want to commit to doing something creative for 100 days? Give this some thought and write it down like you would a mission or vision statement. Place it where you can see it so you are reminded about your goals. This will help you stay focused and on track. Here are some ideas:

1. Establishing a daily creative habit
2. Creating a body of work to sell or gift to others
3. Stretching your skills and gaining confidence
4. Gaining proficiency in a particular technique
5. Connecting with other creatives and building your community

2. Be realistic

It is best to keep your idea simple, especially during your first year. A challenge is exciting and the early days you feel motivated, but by day 30 or 40, that excitement may wain. By keeping things simple and easy to manage, you can push through and remember why you committed in the first place and be motivated to see the project through. In years past, I was always traveling during a few weeks of the project, so I just worked ahead if I had to so I would not get behind and then frustrated and give up.

3. Be whole-heartedly in while you create

I feel a connection to the art I create. It is hard to explain, but if you have experienced it, you are shaking your head. Making time to create fills me with joy and my brain with a seemingly never-ending array of ideas.

Take this time to create freely and without rules or boundaries. You can do this even while following your theme. Follow your heart and create for YOU! If you have a not so good day and don’t want to share what you created on Instagram? No problem, don’t! Or, maybe consider sharing the struggle in your caption while sharing a small zoomed in shot of what you created.

Also, if you sense that your mojo is taking you in a different direction, go with it and adjust. I did that last year because I felt I was being pulled in a different direction.

4. expand your community

Participating in challenges of this kind helps you gain new friends or a new community. Use the project hashtag to search out others who are participating. Find a handful that really inspire you and reach out and encourage those artists. Comment on their posts and cheer them along. Make sure you use the challenge hashtag every time you are publishing a post and respond to comments on your own posts.

5. have fun

These projects and challenges are supposed to be fun, not stressful. Find creative ways to take photographs of your work, share how you are feeling as you work through the project or jump on IG stories and give a shout out to others you are especially inspired by. If you miss a day here and there, don’t give up. This is YOUR project and no one is counting your posts to make sure you complete 100. Catch up when it works for you. If you are finding that you feel a bit overwhelmed by your theme, modify it and adapt.

ready, set, go

I am so excited to get started on this year’s project. This year will be unique in the fact that we are, at least for now, under a shelter in place order. I am prayerful this will not extend through the full 100 days of this project. I hope you’ll consider jumping in. If you are reading this after the start, no worries! You can jump in at anytime.

I hope you will be inspired by my tea bag papers and whatever else comes from my busy hands! See you on Instagram!

Blessings,