The 100 Day Project
I'm participating in the #100dayproject challenge on instagram, which you can read about on their website here. I'm actually doing two challenges at once.
My first idea was to create cards filled with positive affirmations and good news. We are constantly getting bad news... but there's good news too, we just need to be reminded! (Not at all to make light of or be insensitive to what's happening in the world.. just a small attempt to shine a light in the darkness.)
I doubted myself and wasn't sure I could come up with 100 things, so I almost decided not to do it. I also had that pesky inner critic asking who do I think I am to try to shine my tiny light, and wondered if certain people would have the same criticism. But then I thought if anyone is thinking those thoughts, this isn't for them. And if there's anyone who might benefit in some small way from my effort to spread a little encouragement on instagram, it's worth it. The original list I came up with had only thirty-something ideas. Each day something comes to me, and I haven't even used all the ideas on my list yet. Funny how when we follow a calling, the inspiration keeps coming.
I'm also doing 100 days of art journaling because I need to be in the practice of taking at least a few minutes each day to do something creative, and this is a simple, no rules, messy endeavor (aka very doable!). I even decided to use an ordinary composition book (purchased for 50 cents during a back to school sale). I glue two pages together, usually cover with gesso, and get to creating. I chose to use the composition book because I wanted something basic so I could start off without pressure to create anything great. The point of this, for me, is to establish the practice of creating every day. There's no pressure to create a masterpiece.. in fact there are pages I don't really like very much at all. But I'm setting aside time to let my creativity flow (so I don't burst), play with different mediums, get messy and have fun. Some pages are very wrinkly, some have bits sticking out from the edge of the page. I love every bit of it. This has become something I look forward to each day, even when I only have few minutes to add something to a page. It's playtime.
People are so creative! Go on over to instagram and check out #the100dayproject. You'll see people doing art, writing, gardening, sewing, and so many other things. We're a little over half way in. So much inspiration is out there. What will you do to exercise your creativity?
