Thinking About the 100 Day Project 2023
Making a list and pondering my options for the 100 Day Project. Picking the "just right" project is the only way to set myself up for success with this creative challenge!
The 100 Day Project (#the100dayproject) starts February 22, 2023. (That is the "official" hashtag. It can be confusing because there are many similar hashtags that will take you to different sites and groups and communities.) I am always having to doublecheck to see if it is "100 days" or "100 day" and with or without the "the." So, #the100dayproject.
I have done some form of "100 day project" (in sync with their timing) several times. A few of those times have been very successful. A few of those times have fallen short of really catching my attention. At least one of those times was something I would still like to do. It just didn't fit that year.
I’ve drawn. I’ve worked on graphic novel panels. I’ve stitched. I’ve used dip pen. As the years pile up, it seems I’ve returned to this project with regularity in recent years, so much so that thinking about it is now part of my annual creative practice. It makes sense though because working in series is something I talk about a lot.
Because these projects are one that get worked on for approximately three months, they definitely get rolled into podcasts that happen during the same timeframe. A few episodes of the Creativity Matters Podcast you might go back and listen to:
Episode 356: Slice of Life (from the contour project)
Episode 331: Crossroads (about The Crossroads of Should and Must)
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The Value of Making a List
I pull this post up every year now, a cyclical moment of thinking, rethinking, pondering. I like having the palimpsest of notes from earlier years that form the scaffolding for thinking about this new year. I am not starting with a blank slate. Instead, I've got some carefully placed guideposts and mile markers that help give shape to my thoughts. So, I've been thinking about it.
What’s your gut-level response? When asked if you are going to do the project, what do you immediately think or say? When asked what your project might be, what do you immediately do or so?
Your immediate responses might not be what you end up doing, but it’s always a good idea to stop and think about what immediately rises to the top when you think about it and how it makes you feel.
When asked this year, I said, "maybe." Then I said, "probably." When asked what I would do, I said "maybe circles.... maybe portraits in circles."
Those were two super easy, off-the-top answers. I could definitely do those things. But a bit of extra time thinking about it and letting ideas pool around me tells me there are other things I might easily build into my daily practice and still check off boxes on the way to 100.
I'm not yet committing. But I know that if I "might" throw my hat in and tell my heart that I'm going to give a specific 100 a go, I have to choose the right project. The trick is finding a project that I think can carry me from start to finish.
Looking back, I posted musings on possible projects in 2019 and 2021, and I posted a good bit on working in series, especially in the context of the Index-Card-a-Day Challenge (ICAD).
Do you have to join in and do the "official" The 100 Day Project? Of course not. In reality, you could start a creative project on any day and do it for 100 days.
What’s On Tap for 2023
So, I've been thinking about 2023. I made a list over the course of a few early mornings. When I sat down to update my post for this year, I realized that the "me" of earlier years dug a bit deeper into why ideas might work, what their value might be, and whether or not they really had legs. I like that. I like the history of it. I like the honesty. I didn’t flesh out all of my ideas as fully this year. I think I’ve honed in on a few possibilities that I’m circling around, so I’m late in getting my thoughts into this framework and shared.
Ultimately, this is not as long of a list as I've made in prior years. I have a number of creative projects on right now that happily take and fill my creative time, which mostly happens in the margins of my days. I'm not sure I can fit in something else that takes or splits my creative mind each day. That's why I'm really careful and really try to weight out whether or not there's value in an idea or in doing this at all.
How I Think About a 100
I think some of you may benefit from seeing how I (or others) think about the many options. I don't get caught up in the whole "how to count" debate. If I start this as "The 100 Day Project," I'll do it for 100 days (or until I stop if I stop early). I'm okay with that being what it is, and I interpret "100-day" in a variety of possible ways:
100 days working on a specific project, skill, theme, or idea
100 days using a certain medium, tool, or color/palette
100 days of working on something and it might be one single thing
100 days of working on something, and it might be that I make 20, or 50, or maybe 100
100 days working on a big project that meets personal goals and that devoting 100 days worth of effort and energy to will get it started, push it along, or even see it to completion (e.g., a book)
I do not assume that if you do the 100 Day Project it means you have to make 100 of whatever it is. Instead, I think that some projects are ones that you can work on over 100 days. This can be a very freeing perspective.
One of the very first projects I saw a few years ago was something that was approached much differently. It really helped me to conceptualize this kind of challenge as a potential landscape for personal growth, a project that centers around a goal or skill you want to develop and can spend dedicated time exploring over the 100 days and celebrating your growth, how much you learn, what you make, and what you discover.
I've seen people do 100 days getting to know Procreate or digital art, 100 days writing poetry, 100 days drawing a certain kind of object, 100 days of public speaking, 100 days in a certain medium, 100 days of rainbows, 100 days carving stamps, and so on. To me, doing it or practicing it or learning more about it for 100 days, however many actual "items" that means you make (even if it is 1), is a better approach than insisting you create 100 individual things and having it take a whole year.
I do tend to come up with an idea that yields 100 things. I count. I track in Notion. I enjoy this process. But I acknowledge that I might lessen the burden if I told myself it was 100 sessions. And sometimes, finishing 1 might take 2 or more sessions...... I am keeping this gentle perspective in my back pocket as I think about this year. It might be helpful to me when I reach the point of making a decision.
I Made Some Lists for 2023
What I know I'm already doing:
Working every day on my weekly illustrated journal (#illustrateyourweek) -- this project is a continuous project and not one I will set aside
Stitching throughout the week on my 2023 stitch journal
Explore the use of watercolor more deliberately
Knitting
Writing
Podcasting
Wishing I had the equipment to make real videos
To add a 100 Day Project, I need to choose a project that:
I can still manage as an "extra" in my day (small enough to fit in and still allow me time and energy to do my other things -- I work full time)
Is toothy enough to feel like it is sustainable over the long haul (e.g., I won't get tired of it; too simple would end up being boring and not worth the doing "just" to be ticking off the box)
Is sharable (because being able to share my work helps me feel seen and gives me gentle accountability; I am more likely to stick with 100 if I'm sharing it)
Has some personal meaning or relevance (whether in the subject or in the process itself, like something rooted in mindfulness or something related to a series of objects I have personal investment in)
Ideally, whatever I choose might:
Offers some growth potential (I don't approach all challenges with this expectation, but the 100 Day Project really has this potential, and so I look at it with that in mind)
Fits in with larger goals
Supplement my illustrated journal project, not battle with it
Coming up with a list is the first step to figuring out what your options are and what might work. Not every idea you have will fit your objectives and goals, but when you write them down, it's easier to see what's what.
Brainstorm and jot down all the ideas you think about in the days before you make a decision. Don't censor yourself. Even if you know some ideas are stronger than others, go ahead and write them all down. Then, when you reach a list that seems plenty big enough and all of the immediate ideas have been captured, start narrowing in on which ones will or won't work - and why. Sometimes, as you go one by one through your list, the answer will be really obvious to you. You'll find or feel or see that spark. You'll feel pulled one way or the other.
If that happens, yay!
I don't always share lists like this. They are very personal. Very vulnerable. And in their own way very private.
Even though I hesitate to share portions of my list on paper (a la on a screen), I am hopeful that thinking through a few of these in this space might help me find the "just right" chair. In other words, thinking through things "sort of" out loud with a perceived reader (listener) has the potential to help me find the clarity that I won't find when just looking at my list on my own. Presenting it out loud can really help shine light on the nooks and crannies.
So, here we go. Here are a few of the ideas I am considering:
(For the first few, I've shown how to incorporate additional notes like "Growth Mindset," "Reservations," bonuses, and so on. Previously, I did that for all of my list items, and it really helps me to go back through and see the dialogue I had with myself. I didn't include these notes for every item this year in the shared list. But I encourage you to use notes like this when you make your list.
Circles again. Circles with no preconceived parameters. Just using circles each day and filling them. This was part of my premise the year I did dip pen, and it worked really well. I have continued to use circles, but I don’t use them as often or routinely now as I did.
Growth mindset: none
Reservations: it doesn't feel like much of a challenge even though it would be a construct
Bonus: I do like constructs, and sometimes a simple construct if freeing enough that things will bloom inside
Portraits in circles. Using the circles but deliberately using them for portraits. My portraits continue to grow in scale. The more I try to work smaller, the larger I go. Circles can be helpful as containers, although I usually go beyond them.
Growth mindset: it could help me continue to work on scale.
Reservations: none.
_______. I am not saying this one out loud yet because I am really thinking about this idea. There is something I like to draw and am always fascinated with. But I realized just recently that I had the wrong term for this object. I only found that out because I had a terrible time searching for a reference photo because I had the wrong name! Now I’m even more hooked and captivated. As I spent time solving my own mystery, I found myself wondering if maybe this is something I could draw for 100 days. It would be simple in nature but would allow me to do some linework and painting….. and it feels like it would be a combination of soft and stone…. And balance. It would have its own implicit philosophical bent, I think.
Reservations: I’m not sure that this theme has enough merit for 100 — or that I would be able to find 100 images (that speak to me) to use as reference.
Plus: possibilities for future use. Could include watercolor. Drawing requirement would not be complicated. Could be integrated into my journal or standalone pieces (or both). It feels related to mindfulness and balance.
Growth mindset: none.
3 panels a day. This would certainly force me to work in an area that I keep moving farther and farther away from. I think I wouldn’t stick with it this year. Even one panel would be good, but right now, I think my journal process is somehow not making the right space, and my skills in this area haven’t grown.
Sketchnote practice. This was part of my plan last year, and I still think my idea last year was solid. I’m not sure repeating that right now is my highest interest, although it IS an interest.
Figure poses. I continue to want to practice drawing full figures. Magazine images work well for this. I want to do this practice, but I’m not sure if feels like enough weight for 100 days.
Birds. Always an option, but it's an immediate "no" for me. Everyone does birds now.
Dogs. Pets would be super tempting. I don’t know that I’m ready to tackle dogs in paint, and just pen and ink (my ways) feels glad and very contour oriented.
Stuffed animals. This is something I would love to do. I find it hard to find the kinds of photos I envision for this though, so I would have to take my own… that would limit the kinds of animals I have available, and I’m not sure there are 100 even that I would want to draw. This has similar issues to dogs…. Possible lack of detail in pen and ink and/or would require more time than I may have.
___________. This subject just came to mind as something else i love to draw but am super wonky at. But this is something that I know there are 100 of in the basement. It could be a cute series….. but I don’t know if the level of wonky would really become my nemesis. This one is SOOOOO at odds with the other _____ idea. They feel like they are coming in from totally different angles. Tempted.
Micro journaling. I could try this again, and maybe I want to try this again. But sharing 100 is hard. Who wants to hear/read it? I may need to just do it and consider it a jumpstart on better daily habits.
Post-it note drawings. This was on a previous list and always makes my pool of possibles.
Junk journaling. This is something I always “think” I want to do. I tear lots of magazine things, and then I realize I would need to buy a glue stick, and it somehow stops there. But, the secondary reality is that I don’t really want to go into the rest of mixed media. I love the collage element, but I’m not really in the mindset at all for taking that to the next steps. It isn’t even an interest.
Things in jars.
Patterns.
Reels. Seriously. It would be a cool project, but I simply don't have space on my phone to manage it.
Days of mixing paint. This would be a learning series. I’m not sure I want to take time right now for this as a formal project. I like my loose approach.
Days of watercolor circles, a la the circle a day book. (I have the book, but I am tempted to just mix the circles into my journal—- and also use it to explore some mixing. Maybe I would do some of them on watercolor paper and tip them in.
Quotes. This could easily be a lettering project.
Spend the time working on the book I am writing.
Spent 100 days going back through older shows and practicing my sketchnoting skills. (I've been thinking a lot about this project and thinking it really feels like a project that would be more accessible digital -- the need to make edits in a project of that scope seems huge. If I ever manage to get an iPad, I think this would be a Procreate project for sure.)
Write a substack post each day.
I obviously have a lot to think about!
Don't Let Fear of Not Finishing Make You Not Start
One other thing I want to stress is that you shouldn't let fear that you might not finish dissuade you from choosing and starting a project. Pick something you think you will love. Start it. See where it goes. And if it turns out you fall off somewhere along the way, that's okay, too. You'll pick up your creative life with something else and move on.
I hope that you, too, give a 100 Day Project some thought.
For more, see these posts and show notes pages:
100 Day Project 2019 (the year I did contour people in motion)
Episode 356: Slice of Life (from the contour project)
Episode 331: Crossroads (about The Crossroads of Should and Must)
It’s Not My Challenge, of Course!
I don't have anything to do with the 100 Day Project, and over the years, I've gotten more and more jaded about the possibility of using a project to gain more audience or make connections. It never works, especially when projects have large audiences, are mostly spearheaded by well-known artists who nod to each other, or when my own work is adjacent rather than smack dab in the center. The 100 Day Project is open-ended enough in concept to make space for everyone. That's a really nice aspect to it. There are people who draw, paint, collage, write, sew, knit, practice skills like Procreate, and more. It hasn't ever helped me make connections. (I think I'm just too prickly somehow.) But I do enjoy the idea that a bunch of people are working on their OWN project, counting their way up or down, and being self-disciplined about their creative habits, routines, and growth. That's all good, so good. Plus, of course, I do love a good count, a good number, a good goal, and a simple but powerful way to give contour to creative practice and habit.