Want to Play Along?
In which I wax on about the 100 Day Project and give you a gift.
The 100 Day Project starts in 13 days, on Sunday, February 18. If you’re not familiar with the project, read about it here. Last night, a group of my creative sisters met to talk about possible projects, get feedback about ideas, and generally cheer each other on. One of our group reminded us that there are three ways to think of the project: play, practice, produce. If you’re thinking of a project, these three purposes can be helpful in framing what you’ll do. Here’s my take on them:
Play: Maybe you need a low-stakes creative outlet. Maybe you want to noodle around and take joy in your creative process. Approach the 100 Day Project like a game–set up rules that delight you, and don’t be afraid to break them while following your whims.
Practice: This is for you if you’re hankering to learn something new, to build a skill. In 2021, I spent 100 days practicing a new embroidery stitch every day. What fun to research stitches and to build my skills. A project I’m considering this year would give me practice drawing perspective.
Produce: You want to build a body of work. You want to create, finish, revise…or somehow otherwise get to done. Get lots of dones under your belt. Even if you’re not sure what will happen with everything you produce, there’s power in having made 100 somethings.
I’ve got a long list of possibilities, and reframing my ideas as play, practice, or produce is helping me to narrow them down. Another thing that’s helping me is a little bit of time travel, thinking about my past long-term project. Here’s a list–if I used a unique hashtag, I’ve included it–you can hop onto Instagram and search the hashtag if you want to check out a project.
Year-long projects I’ve done:
2015 daily postcard project #2015postcardproject
2017 daily embroidery journal
2018 150 days Remarkable People project
2020 daily embroidery journal
2020-21 daily solstice embroidery project (French knots)
2023 daily hours embroidery (a straight stitch for every hour of the year)
2024 daily postcard project (paper cut)
100 Day Projects I’ve completed:
2018-2019 100 day dress project
2019 #100daysofmoons
2019 #100daysoffinishingstitches
2020 #100daysinmyyard
2021: #100saintselfies
2021: #100daysofembroiderysampler
2022: #100creativeinfluences
2023: #100daysofmaisiestillwell
Remember last time I talked about finding little pockets of time for creative practice? The 100 Day Project is a terrific tool for carving 10-15 minutes from each day for your creativity. When I listed my projects above, I listed only the ones I completed. To be honest, the uncompleted projects generally have a few things in common:
They were too complex.
They took too long each day.
I wasn’t making a full “thing” each day.
My advice to you: keep it simple. Test the waters in these next 13 days. How long does your project take you? Make one thing each day. It doesn’t matter if the thing is small–as long as it’s complete.
Sign ups are still open for my year-long postcard project. I’m making a postcard every day and mailing it into the world. I’m happy to mail internationally. If you’ve already signed up, share the link with your pals, will ya?
Link List:
Books I’m reading:
Crook Manifesto by Colson Whitehead. There’s a reason he’s won a Pulizter, a MacArthur Fellowship and a Guggenheim Fellowship. This novel, like his others, is immediately gripping.
The Creative Act by Rick Rubin. This is my before-bed book. Still dipping into it each night.
What I’m Watching:
All Creatures Great and Small on PBS, which delivers gorgeous knitwear and adorable animals (Thanks, Maryse, for reminding me about the new season).
Beef on Netflix. Odd and smart and getting seriously dark as the season continues!
What I’m Eating:
This Beet Tartare recipe is so good–skip the labneh and bread and have it as a side salad if you like.
Winter squash season is nearing its end. I’m still loving my long-time favorite butternut squash galette from Smitten Kitchen.
A Gift: I’ve made a 100 Day Project Tracker for you. Click on the link, then make a copy (File -> Make a Copy), or download it on Notion.
Creative Prompt: Take a blank piece of paper and number 1-100 on it. Set a timer for 7 minutes, and, as fast as you can, write down 100 ideas for 100 Day Projects. It’s okay to repeat yourself! Go fast, don’t edit or decide what won’t work. Just write. You can do this on a computer or phone app, but there’s something special that happens when you do this kind of listing pen(cil) to paper.
Thanks, as always, for reading this. Let me know if you join in the 100 Day Project fun, willya?
xx,
Beverly