300 Days of Creativity
This year was the third time that I have formally participated in the 100 Day Project. Currently, my momentum is still going and I am on day 103/100 which is actually very satisfying. The 100 Day Project is an annual event where you commit to making or creating something every day for 100 days in a row. It begins in February and runs through April. You commit to whatever it is you want to do and create a unique hashtag and publish your progress to Instagram. Here is a peak into my three 100 Day Projects, including the parameters I set for myself and what I learned.
100 Days of the Lord’s Prayer – 2018
The first year, I handlettered the Lord’s Prayer 100 different ways. I rotated among a watercolor journal, my iPad, and a tiny, simple notebook that I used at softball games.
There were several members of the Calligraphy Guild who were also doing it and it was a lot of fun in the evenings to see what everyone posted and to comment on their artwork.
The toughest part for me was around 60-75 days. I remember wanting to quit, but I kept going.
What I loved about this year was the camaraderie of doing it with a group of people and the constraint of writing the same thing 100 different ways.
100 Days of Doodle Inspiration – 2021
This time, I selected 100 words that inspired me and decided to handletter them in a 5×8 watercolor journal. I also included the definition and a quote using that word. Sometimes I would use this additional information in the design.
Link to the hashtag. Oops. It also includes my 2022 posts 🙁
It took two volumes and I made a grid at the back of each journal to identify what tools I used. Mainly, a LOT of Sakura black Glaze pens and watercolor. My other constraint was to complete a page in as close to 30 minutes as possible.
I had taken an online class and learned some watercolor doodle techniques and wanted to try them out. I also like to create quickly and wanted to see what could emerge when I focused on speed and didn’t have time to talk myself out of a design.
I tried to be fancy and had a black background and the number of the day and SuperDoodleGirl on each post. This was a PAIN because I had to flip between phone and computer and keep up with what day I was on.
Flipping through these two journals, I realized that I can create a LOT of different lettering styles even though I don’t like to practice the formal calligraphy hands. I like to learn them and play with them a bit and then turn it into other styles. I also like VIBRANT colors and BLACK lettering.
This year, I had a lot of interaction through the process because in the text I included all the information about the word (definition, quote, and commentary). The little backgrounds became cumbersome and I stopped when I got to 100 because my journals were filled up and I was tired of the process.
100 Days of Joyful Doodles – 2022
This year, I decided to create happy, flower-ish doodles on 3.5 square artist tiles. I found an album to hold them and their are 6 on each page. The pattern I decided was
- Draw a flower or leaf.
- Transform a part of it into a pattern.
- Draw it with my left hand.
- Transform a part of it into a pattern.
- Draw it funky or bold.
- Transform a part of it into a pattern.
I snapped a pic of each tile on this watercolor background that looks like jewel-toned tiles on one side and funky, green doodles on the other. Super simple. Looks nice, but not much fuss.
This year, I didn’t stress about making it look beautiful. My focus is to show up and create something everyday. Honestly, I don’t like over half of them. There is a little something about creating each one that has taught me something. The other thing that I love is that it is a quick process and the album I keep them in is easy to flip through and I am seeing my style develop and show up.
I am at 104 days now and plan to keep going. I like the format and might change up the content to lettering or something else, but the flow of this fits into the space of creating every day!
P.S. I finished this project in December 2022 the week before my house fire. I think it was 285-ish little tiles that year. There is magic in pockets of practice every day.
P.P.S. I put together the 100 Day Playbook with all of the content from my 2021 Project. 👉🏼Take a peek here! 👈🏼
