25 Apr The 100 day project (2022 version)
In 2022 – like the previous three years – I joined #the100dayproject, a global 100-day project initiative. In this post, I share what I learned from my earlier (successful and not so successful) 100-day projects and what rules I set myself for this round of the 100-day project.
For those not familiar with the 100-day project: it’s basically doing/creating/making something specific (whatever you choose) for 100 consecutive days. This could be 100 days of sketches, block prints, being mindful, taking a photo each day, giving back to the community – there are no rules; you set your own rules. You can read more about what a creative challenge is and how it can help you reach your (creative) goals in this blog post.
In the past, I had set myself rules of different complexity – from basically no rules the first two years (other than to create any types of block-printed patterns regularly in 2019 and 2020) to very distinct rules about what creations counted toward the 100-day project (in 2021). Timewise, I also approached my projects from two different angles: in 2019 & 2020, I wanted to create those 100 days as quickly as possible (but not necessarily in 100 consecutive days). On the other hand, in 2021, I felt like I wanted to give myself the entire year to create (“100 days of creating”).
So, how did 2021 go?
I approached 2021 differently. I wanted to feel less rushed and make time for more extensive and specific projects, such as large-scale prints, my surface pattern licensing catalog, diving deeper into maritime themes, and a new topic called “all blue.” Also, I had not completed the project in 2020 – for no apparent reason (in 2020, I had decided to end the 100-day project shortly after the 50-day mark just because it had taken me so long to get to the 50-day mark. Instead, I continued creating and making new patterns outside the 100day project.)
How did it go? Not too good. My goal was to make room for all these (longer-term) explorations, but instead, I did a lot of work that did not count toward my 100-day project (because of the boundaries I had set). As I was not working on it regularly, I lost count and track of what I had done last for the 100-day project. I created – for example – maritime-inspired prints and forgot to “count them” towards the project. The project simply was not present enough in my mind.
My rules for 2022
So, I decided to learn from this and take a different approach for 2022.
- Any new pattern will count, whether I carve a new block, combine multiple “older” blocks to make a new pattern, or take my block-printed work into the digital world (vectorizing my block prints to create new digital patterns).
- Even though any pattern will count, I challenge myself – like last year – to explicitly work on larger prints, on extending my surface pattern licensing catalog, and work my “all blue” project.
- Not all days will be block printing in its purest form, but all work should be related to block printing in some way or the other. Work in progress (as long as I worked on them on separate days) – not only finished prints or work will count. That’s a rule I already had last year, and it’s still something I need to remind myself that the work in between is also important and as valuable as the final print, the final pattern.
- I want to finish my project as soon as possible, but I know that I will not be able to create for 100 consecutive days. So nevertheless, I will make it my priority to complete the project. But no matter how long it takes me, I will finish it (there is no “stopping” the project after fiftyish days just because so much time has elapsed. I will stop at the end of 2022 if I have not completed my project by then.
- I will use my 100-day tracker to track my progress 🙂
You can follow my project on Instagram or visit a summary of my work at #100daysofpatternsby3dottedpenguins.
Get your printable copy of the 100-day project tracker
I made a handy printable pdf to help keep track the progress of the 100-day project.
I hope you find it as helpful as I do: I tend to forget how far I am along the 100 day project from one day to the next (let alone if I skip a couple of days in between), so having something to check off the days (I even write the date underneath in small numbers) is saving me from going back to previous Instagram posts to see which day I posted last or counting unposted project work. As a nice little plus, I also get satisfaction from seeing the list of checkmarks grow. Perhaps you do, too.
No Comments