Hungerpaints

Natalia Dinsmore in Brookline, Massachusetts is creating daily to "help cope with whatever gets thrown at me" in Hungerpaints...





Why did you decide to do this project? I decided to do this project because I needed motivation to help me in my recovery process from an eating disorder. I love art but I found it hard to actually sit down, and seperate time to do it. So by creating this blog, it forced me to find a break in my day to do something positive for myself.





How has doing a yearlong/daily project affected your life? My eyes are open a lot more. I look around and see what I can photograph or make instead of  just moving through my day, monotonously.



See all of Natalia's projects HERE.

Visible Gratitude

Rebekah Sherwood in Dallas, Texas is documenting things for which she's thankful in her daily in her project Visible Gratitude...



Why did you decide to do this project? In 2011, I kept a gratitude journal. I tried to write down every day ten things I was thankful for from that day. I wanted to cultivate a heart of gratitude to God for all that He has blessed me with each day. Once the year was over, I didn't want to just stop being intentionally thankful. So, I decided to carry my gratitude over into picture form. I'd been toying around with the idea of doing a 365 blog, so it worked out well to put those desires together.



How has doing a yearlong/daily project affected your life? So far I've completed 98 days. It has been good for me to continue to find things in my life every day for which I'm thankful. The more thankful I am every day, the more joy I find in life. Doing this project has also helped my photography skills improve!



See all of the things Rebekah is thankful for HERE.

Waking up in Berks County

Danielle Nuhfer in Reading, Pennsylvania is creating Waking up in Berks County. She explains, "My project is a photo project where I take one picture/day of anything that is in Berks County.  It doesn't have to be a specific thing, it just has to be something that lives, breathes or is located in the fine place where I live."...




Why did you decide to do this project? I decided to do this project because Reading, PA was deemed the country's most poverty-stricken city in the United States in 2011.   I started to get very concerned that all of these things were going on around me, yet I had no real perception that this was the case nor was I doing anything to help the community.

I was ashamed that I lived a moderately comfortable life, completely oblivious that I was living within a community that was among the poorest in the country.  I was so desensitized to my own surroundings that I didn't even recognize all the pain in my very back yard.  This really shook me.  I realized that I was not living a very present life.  So, my project has a two-fold purpose. First,  I am using it to make sure that I make an attempt to stay present in my daily life.  By taking a picture every day of the world around me, I am forced to stop all those things I THINK are important and wake up to reality.  Second, it is helping me to see the reality of the world I live in.  I am able to capture the beautiful, the mundane, the ugly and everything in between.  Only from a place of presence will I be able to move forward and give back to this community that I have called home for over half of my life.





How has doing a yearlong/daily project affected your life? Well, I'm only in the second month and it has been really interesting.  I am learning that eventually every day something will inspire me to take a photograph but I sometimes I need to look for those opportunities.  The first few days were simple but then I started to run out of those BIG things to capture.  I made a promise that I was going to try to conduct my life as naturally as possible and not go driving all over the countryside to take a picture from various remote locations every day.  I wanted to stay true to reality...not what I create for a blogging/project opportunity.  So, I have settled in and taking a picture is something I do every day.  I'm not completely consistent with the uploads, but behind the scenes the pictures are being taken and the information is being logged.  One thing that I love is that my eyes have a new purpose, there is a heightened sense of duty.   One day at a time I am becoming active and invested in my life....all through taking a picture.

This seemingly simple process has now given me even more ideas for ways to incorporate this concept of "waking up in Berks County".  I have started to use some of the pictures I've taken in multi-media collages that I create.  I couple the pictures with cutouts of local articles to create a truly unique piece of art that on all dimensions is inspired by Berks County and created in Berks County.  It's important to me to be an active citizen giving back and this is the way that I'm finally starting to fill that purpose in my life.



See all of Danielle's photos HERE.

180 Degrees

Tiffany Parris in Winston-Salem, North Carolina is creating 365 Postcards in her 180 Degrees project. She explains, "I am taking mail that I receive, some of it pretty yucky (read the description on the blog), and repurposing it into new postcards. I am opening the project up to any readers to send me mail and if they choose, I will send them a 'repurposed postcard' in return."...






Why did you decide to do this project? I decided to do this because I am in a season in my life when my mail really sucks. I hate opening my mail. I wanted to turn it around into something positive.



How has doing a yearlong/daily project affected your life? I actually enjoy looking into the gruesome mail slot these days. I know that whatever financial, emotional, and spiritual struggles I am currently in right now will not last forever. There is a light at the end of the PO Box. I enjoy these little moments of creative energy. I am not setting out to make a piece that will be sold or that will ever hang in a gallery, but it makes me happy to unwind and just tear and glue paper.




If you'd like to send/get some "happy" mail from Tiffany contact her through her site HERE.

HaikuDawg Follow-Up

Danielle Durkin and Maria Ayoob finished their joint yearlong HaikuDawg project on March
5, 2012...

Dull ache behind eyes
Sisyphus taught me today
Lift and step forward.
—D.D. #10 3.16.11


 The chickadee’s call
Delicious sound of morning
Taste the mellow notes
—M.Y.A. #110 6.24.11

What are the biggest lessons/skills you learned from doing your project?

Dani: I reveled in the regular communication and sharing of creative energy with others. I created a small group of folks I would send haiku to each night and it was mutually inspiring. Having a place to go once a day to focus a thought and/or feeling allowed me to crystalize experiences in my day or week in such a way that I felt  more connected and mindful of my surroundings.

Maria: I think I became a little braver. There is satisfaction and fun to be had in using my 'voice,' but to get it I have to give up my fear of being heard - and of being judged on my mistakes, my silliness, my mediocrity.



Old friend embrace me
No matter the roads we walk
I will see you there.
—D.D. #49 4.24.11

 The freshest morning!
Bliss is cool air on bare skin
Light-white-blue on brown
—M.Y.A. #125 7.9.11


In what ways did the project change your life?

Dani: My friendship with Maria has strengthened and deepened because we are doing the project together and our haikus are like a wonderful, ongoing conversation. Due to my illness over the last several years, I've felt isolated and at a loss as to how to reintroduce creative outlets to my routine. Consistency with this simple haiku art has reopened up a tiny window of light and communication I've craved. It's profoundly healing.

Maria: My friendship with Danielle has grown profoundly this year. Our haiku-conversation has been accompanied by many phone and email conversations, single word text messages asking for help or offering support, and the pleasure of getting to know each other as we are now. My relationship with depression has changed too. I've found some words to describe this very private experience. Re-reading those words has given me some ideas about what is consistent about my depression, the ways it manifests physically for me and how it reflects the seasons and colors my perception of the world around me. Finally, the project has taught me to be delighted by what I see. I love my city, my neighborhood, my walk to work, the little changes in the weather much more because of it.


I lift myself up,
Flutter moth-like to life’s light,
Stretching my burned wings.
—D.D. #68 5.13.11

Fall begins like this
A cooler afternoon light
One spiraling leaf
—M.Y.A. #199 9.21.11


Now what? We've decided to do another year of HaikuDawg together, starting April 1st,
2012, as well as try to publish our haikus for a wider audience. A lot has happened for both of us in a
year and we suspect our complex lives will be reflected in the new batch of haiku.


Laughter is the thread,
Knotting our hearts together,
Joining our loose ends.
—D.D. #290 12.21.11


I want my mind clear
My skull empty, echoing
Like a cave of bone
—M.Y.A. #220 10.12.11


Read the original HaikuDawg interview HERE.


Walking off the cliff,
Feeling wind yet not fearless,
Breathing into flight.
—D.D. #324 1.24.12


November, blue-gray
I was born in this cold month
Its shadows hold me
—M.Y.A. #266 11.27.11

And you can read all of Danielle and Maria's haiku HERE.

Rebecca's 365

Rebecca Grace Jones in Shepherdstown, West Virginia is doing a daily creativity project inspired by 365: A Daily Creativity Journal...



Why did you decide to do this project? I found your book in our wonderful, local independent bookstore, Four Seasons Books, Shepherdstown, WV, at the end of December last year and got very excited about the idea of starting this yearlong project right away in the new year. I love assignments. I loved them when I was a student and later when I became a commercial illustrator. I enjoy the challenge of taking someone's idea and seeing what creative thing it leads me to do.





How has doing a yearlong/daily project affected your life? I am on my 92nd day. I've been posting each thing I do on my Facebook page. It is enormous fun to have my friends give me feedback and comment and tell me how they relate to what I do. So it has become a great way to share and interact with my friends. Sometimes I get an idea of what I want to do immediately, sometimes I really struggle, sometimes I don't like the project idea and don't want to do it! But the funny thing is that those are the projects that usually come out the best. Each project seems to push me and increase my creative vocabulary, either with new media, new techniques or just making me think. I just wish I had more time to spend on them! I can give myself only a few hours a day tops because I make my living as an artist and need to 'make product to sell'. Sometimes that influences what I do, because I think if I make something I can use for my Work work, then it justifies the time spent. But mostly I just have fun!


I've also noticed a difference in my confidence level. For example, 'ask a stranger', I was unsure about doing and it ended up being the best fun! I'm tempted to gush with detail about all this, but I know you are a busy man and must get many emails to read. So just suffice it to say...thanks! I didn't realize I needed to 'change my life' when I started your book. Now I see how this works!



Follow Rebecca's progress on her blog HERE.

Eats and Reads

Deborah Moore in West Valley, Utah is doing a yearlong project called Eats and Reads. She explains, "Every day I pick a different childrens book and make a snack that goes along with it."...




Why did you decide to do this project?  I've already been doing Eats and Reads, but I wanted to do something more consistent.  I love to cook, make healthy snacks and getting kids excited about current books.  


How has doing a yearlong/daily project affected your life? I started doing sporadic Eats and Reads over a year ago as a way to have something to blog about.  It's helped me learn what picture books are out there.  As an aspiring author this is important, but by making treats to go along with the books it's more entertaining for me. I've recorded some of my creations, but I've never been 100% certain how the snack would turn out.  Creating and rushing toward possible failure has given me a chance to get over some of my hang ups and try a few unusual things.  For example, I made a Chihuahua out of peanut butter, graham crackers, and banana's.  It turned out cute, but I had no idea if it'd even work when I was doing it. Other times I'm made a cute looking snack which my kids absolutely hated.  One highlight was when I let S.A. Boden, author of "The Compound" know that I made a snack for her book.  She thought it was a fun idea. 

I wrote my first rough novel (in submission, but it hasn't been picked up by any agents yet) by forcing myself to write a little every day.  This helped me work past the creative blocks and discouragement.  I love the fact that your book provides little prompts and has realistic support for creative and artist types.



See all of Deborah's Eats and Reads HERE.

Marieke's A Flower A Day

Marieke Rolloos in Delft, the Netherlands is making A Flower A Day...




Why did you decide to do this project? I wanted to do a year project to inspire myself. I choose to make flowers, because they make me happy. I want to share with other people, that's why I put the flowers somewhere in Delft. Other people like it and give positive feedback. It makes them smile!!!



How has doing a yearlong/daily project affected your life? Because of this project I came up with new ideas and projects. I am giving creative workshops and this project inspires other people as well. That is very nice! It is a positive project with "good news", it makes people happy. I think the world can use that! ;-)


See all of Marieke's flowers HERE.

Janetpalooza

Janet Lundy in Richmond, Virginia decided to attend 31 musical performances in 31 days and document what she experienced. She called it Janetpalooza...



Why did you decide to do this project? The project really started as an accident.  I work with local community radio station WRIR, and there happened to be a lot of really good bands playing in town during their fund drive.  So I decided to use that fund-drive week to see as many performances as I could.  After seeing 8 shows in 8 days, and after realizing that, coincidentally, I had started this on March 1st, my husband said that I should try to see 31 shows in 31 days - one for every day of the month.  I laughed at the idea at first, but then after seeing a few more shows over the next few days, another friend pointed out that I was already almost halfway there.  So what else could I do but try to complete the challenge?




How has doing a yearlong/daily project affected your life? This project has really forced me to move outside of my comfort zone.  I tend to have a bit of social anxiety, so I've been working really hard to not just keep to myself when I go out.  I've had conversations with people I hadn't met before.  I've formed stronger friendships with people I previously didn't know that well.  I've danced in public.  And I even hugged a total stranger who kept watch over my phone when I accidentally left it on a table at a club.

I've listened to music I probably wouldn't have listened to before.  Learned about bands I wouldn't have heard otherwise.  Renewed my love of genres I thought I had outgrown.  Learned that shows rarely start on time around here.  Saw that some of the best bands can be some of the most overlooked.  And stayed up way too late for too many days in a row!

I also learned that if I ever decide to do something like this again, I need to PLAN better.  Laundry, showers, and hot meals are nice things to have and can easily get shoved aside when you're trying to cram a few more hours worth of stuff into an already busy day.




Read about all of Janet's musical experiences HERE.

Daily Mini Sculpture Project

Rachel Dorn in Yakima, Washington is doing a Daily Mini Sculpture Project, for 80 days...


Why did you decide to do this project? I decided to do the project as a way to get back into the studio during the school year (when I teach). Additionally, I was curious how it would compare to do a directed piece (like those I require my students to do) compared to a free, open-ended piece, given the same amount of clay and the same amount of time to plan and to work.


How has doing a yearlong/daily project affected your life? I haven't been doing this long enough to answer question two very well. I plan to assess the quality of the two groups of works and the end of 80 days. (it has been about 18 days as of March 26). The one certain change is that I have been in the studio everyday at home (not just teaching in the studio at work).


See all of Rachel's sculptures HERE.

Year of The Tshirt

Brian Shevlin in New York City's Lower East Side has been creating Year of The Tshirt since 2010. 

He explains, "Every Day, I wear a different tshirt, take a picture, and post it online. Many website are about selling cool tshirts, showing off cool design, or products to buy... This site is simply about the love of great tshirts, new, vintage, homemade or available everywhere, curated by one person... As well as sticking to a simple idea, and doing it every single day. We now have different people take the website for 3 months each, and wear a different tshirt every day for their 3 month duration. So that we have a different persons perspective and collection shared every 3 months.





Why did you decide to do this project? It probably started with my love of tshirts, my large collection, and that I just wanted to do something. I wanted to do something that would help promote the art collective that I had just started, called Con Artist. It was a simple idea that I thought would be fun. It's grown and expanded over the past few years to what it is now... which is a pretty big website on tshirts within the tshirt geek circle. It's also been a great catalyst to begin discussions with some awesome and very creative people, as well as a lot of free tshirts.


How has doing a yearlong/daily project affected your life? A daily project has been much harder than you first image. To do something, everyday, is exhausting. In the end though, you learn so much more about something when you force yourself to do it everyday. As well as the sense of accomplishment when you stick to such a big project. It's made me really pay more attention and planning to any kind of travel, or even how I plan, or where I sleep and what I do each day.

In the end, it's been one of the greatest experiences I have ever had even if it is something as simple as wearing a tshirt every day.


See all of Brian's T-shirts HERE.

Bridget's Drawing A Day & Paperdoll A Day

Bridget McAlonan in Topsham, Maine did a Drawing a Day 2011 and  Paperdoll a Day 2012....


She explains, "For the month of March I'll be doing a Feminist Paper Doll A Day. Who inspires you? I welcome your suggestions of feminists who are striving to undo oppression currently or in the past.

I had intended to make a paper doll per day (or more) through the month of January. I have a problem with becoming obsessed with things and I do believe that the paper doll issue is the latest personal obsession."



Why did you decide to do these projects? For Drawing a Day 2011, I began this project out of frustration with myself. I was stuck. So on a whim on January 1, 2011 I made a resolution (which I never make): I'd do at least one drawing per day. I gave myself rules: I had 30 minutes or less to complete the drawing. Once that 30 minute mark was hit the drawing was done. In addition, to keep myself honest, I would post the drawings on my Facebook page, Inventing Trees within a couple of days of creation (if not that day). The drawing did not have to be good...I just had to do it. I did not create perimeters around media.

For Paperdoll A Day 2012, I was very interested in paperdolls and decided "what the hell."  I am currently still doing the Drawing a Day project but on a private basis.




How has doing a yearlong/daily project affected your life? The result is that I have created a daily habit. I feel weird now if I haven't done a drawing. My family also has accepted that this is part of my routine. I have done the drawings while travelling, regardless of sickness and despite overwhelming other demands on my time. I have created at least one drawing everyday over the course of the year.  The spin out of these projects is an increased ability to focus and think outside the box.  My graphic skills have increased as well.



Read more about Bridget's drawings HERE and paperdolls HERE.


Get Unstuck at the New York Public Library

I will be at the New York Public Library this Saturday to lead their Hand-Made Crafternoon!


Saturday, April 14,  2 – 4 pm
New York Public Library
Stephen A. Schwarzman Building, Margaret Liebman Berger Forum
 

We'll be doing some of the exercises from my new book Unstuck along with a classic craft from my Skull-A-Day project!

The event is FREE and open to the public, though they do recommend making a reservation since space is limited. All the details can be found HERE.

If you're in the area I hope you'll come by and say hi!



Drake Designs 365

Samantha in West Hartford, CT is using my book to inspire her 365 day creativity project...



Why I decided to do this year long project? I needed something to get my art moving, a direction, a purpose. Although extremely creative, getting started can be a challenge for me.When I came across the book at 'Paper Source' in Boston I felt that it could be a great start. I thought by the end of a year I would have a better idea of where to take my art and have fun in the process.


The project of the day directs what medium to work in. Photography and paper cutting are the two that I like the most.





How has the daily project changed my life? The way my life has changed is really amazing. As a result of posting the project everyday, to my blog and Facebook, I have a confidence in my talent and art that I never had before. I am discovering ways to be creative that I never gave myself permission to do before, as in fun ways! My life long dream has been to support myself by doing art. By starting the journal that dream is quickly becoming real. It also inspired me to finish my BFA. Currently I am applying to the The School of the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston.

One of my early pieces from the journal was posted on the 'Electra' bike blog on Valentine's day, that was a proud moment for me.



See all of Samantha's projects HERE.


Daily Photo Hunt

Danny Brando in New Jersey is doing a DailyPhotoHunt. He explains, "A digital scavenger hunt where creativity is all you need to find the target in the world around you.  Every day I post a new topic on Twitter via @DailyPhotoHunt. The purpose is to challenge anyone interested to take a picture(s) in that day that represent the topic to them, tweet it, and tag it with #DailyPhotoHunt"...




Why did I decide to do this project? I was originally inspired by something similar being done by @DailyShoot (which has since closed down).  While they were geared more for serious photographers, I wanted my project to be more of a fun scavenger hunt using whatever photographic equipment you have with you (mostly smart phones).  I was re-inspired by Noah Scalin after hearing him speak about his Skull-A-Day project.  I guess I was searching for a creative outlet.  I'm now committed to the hunt every day.




How has doing a yearlong/daily project affected your life? Its probably too soon to claim any dramatic effect on my life yet, but I do feel as though my mind is more open to creative ideas.  I already find that I am applying more creative thinking in my other work.


Follow Danny's hunt on his blog HERE or in Twitter HERE

Running and Blogging

Jane Burk in Plano, Texas is spending a year Running and Blogging. She explains, "I am writing a 500+ word blog about running. I am a morning runner.  After each run, I would write something.  It could be about the run itself, the route I took, the things I saw, or the people I ran with."...


Why did you decide to do this project? Here is the entry in 2010 that started the blogging series.

"During one of the freezing cold morning runs in early January, Michael and I struggled uphill in his neighbood near the University of Richmond.  Luckily the darkness hid the steep ascends from our very naked eye.  Only the heart pounding and puffed breathing revealed to us that we were conquering a hill.  At the top of the hill while catching a breath, I asked Michael if he wanted to renew our vow to run 2010 kilometers in 2010.  "Yeah," an excited Michael repsonded, "It is totally doable."

That day I plugged in the number into a KM to mile conversion.  2010 km is 1249 miles -- a bit more than 100 miles a month, about 26 miles a week.  This is really achievable.  During the fall marathon training, I easily rack up a 40 to 50 miles a week.

The next day I bought a Ultimate Work Log on sale, and started to record my January miles I have conquered."

I was about 50 miles shy of achieving the goal in 2010.  That year I traveled four times to China to be with my ailing mother.  The same year I lost my mother to cancer.  I wrote a few pieces about my mother, especially the gifts she imparted to me during her last day in the world.  It was through running I found calm in life.  It was through blogging I found balance in emotion.


How has doing a yearlong/daily project affected your life? I kept blogging for the entire 2010 (after each run), but stopped in 2011.  Fast forward to 2012 I resumed blogging.  After my morning run and before a day is over, I'd write a 500-word piece describing my running experience.

Just like running, blogging had good days and bad days.  On a good day my eye would observe the tiny changes, and my blog would capture them in details -- the change in the air, gossips on the run, or strange facial movement. I also read more attentively to authors I like.  My blogging would imitate a clean and brief writing styles of my favorite writers, yet I want to project an image in the readers' head when simple and concise verbs are used. 

English is not my first language.  Writing with a recognizable personal style is harder to accomplish. The 3 to 4 times a week of writing help me to improve incrementally.  Now looking back, I can proudly say how far I have gone.


Read Jane's tales of running HERE.

Owling About

Hannah Mummert in Wetumpka, Alabama is Owling About daily for a year...




Why did you decide to do this project? I had never done a 365 day challenge. I'd done a 40 day challenge before, but that's nothing compared to a whole year. I found this book in Books-a-Million and decided to try it out. So far, it's been a ton of fun, even if I'm not very far along. I'm hoping to further my creative skills while doing this! I'm not leaving out any form of art.



How as doing a yearlong/daily project affect your life? It has definitely taught me patience and perseverance. I'm less likely to procrastinate. Well, I still procrastinate but not nearly as much as I used to. I'm much more creative and I've found new ways to think up ideas. I've also learned new forms of art, such as sewing and paper mache.



See all of Hannah's owls HERE.




100 milkteeth

Heidi Sabertooth in Brooklyn, New York is making a song a day for 100 days and she calls it 100 milkteeth...




Why did you decide to do this project?
The idea for creating a track a day actually came from something I was in the habit of doing for many years – every time I would get into the studio with my band for rehearsal or just by myself, it was a rule of thumb to ALWAYS press the record button right away because in the course of getting warmed up, often a new song would be born – certainly some of the most magical moments would happen and we would be so glad we recorded because it was super fun to listen back and reflect on that shared experience – we were capturing a creative moment in time!  And some of the charm about it was that they weren't perfect songs yet – they had the roughness of a pure creative idea coming out – I always found myself leaning into those recordings, even more than the official songs we made.  There was a sincerity to them.  So, I thought, wouldn't it be amazing to formalize this process for myself - of capturing creativity on the spot – and share it with others!!  Its a form of communication -- like, "hey - this is what is really going on with me today and what I am thinking about... how does it hit you?  what are you thinking about when you hear it?"  Thats why the project is called 'milkteeth' because these are all baby songs, not fully formed – sketches – like baby teeth – the first thing that pushes through the gum. 

Another reason for doing the project was to build up my music skills. After spending the past 5 or so years playing in bands, I had been involved in production and mixing to some extent, but had not yet made a meaningful step towards owning that side of things for the solo music I was creating.  And I never went to audio engineering school or anything -- always a big believer in learning by doing.  This was a chance to kick it in gear! I also wanted to build my song catalog, expand my range of styles, and really start getting a feel for what my signature heidisabertooth sound seems to be across the board.

Even though 100milkteeth is certainly a very personal project, I really didn't want this project to be completely ALL about me, drawing this distinct line between me as the performer and everyone else as the audience.  boring!!!  I want variety, new influence, feedback, communication!  I love the community aspect of making art and I have deep respect for so many of the different music scenes that are going on right now, especially the emerging things that are all around me in Bushwick, Bed-Stuy, and beyond Brooklyn too, lots of folks with good hearts building true community around art, doing it for the love.  So I have been making some milkteeth (and plan to make more) with fellow musicians and video artists that I respect – from a really wide range of styles, everything from jazz to dubstep, techno to indie-pop.  It's fun to see how my sound meshes with a lot of different types of music and art – I have to say, I have a genuine appreciation for all types of music -- as long as it is made with sincerity and honesty – you can tell when it isn't.

Finally, I felt that 100milkteeth would be a good way to learn how to deal with the emotions that come from releasing your creative product into the world.  It can be a roller coaster ride!  I wanted to get a thicker skin, and not take it so hard if somebody doesn't like something or I don't get immediate feedback.


How has doing a yearlong/daily project affected your life? Well, this project has certainly helped me get a handle on my systems of organization!  I have become so much more efficient in the music studio – how to file everything, write things down, etc.  This maybe sounds kind of silly, but it has forced me to be super efficient in other areas too – for example: because I like to eat healthy and I am living on a part-time non-profit salary, I really avoid any take-out and try to cook for myself as much as possible. I realized quite quickly that I would not be able to cook every night during these 100 days like I was used to.  So, I have a cooking afternoon once every 2 weeks!  I put on a bunch of music and cook up a storm of different types of salads and noodle dishes – that will last in the fridge for the next couple of weeks.  So when I come home from work and it's time to get to making that song for the day, I just have to reheat and eat – 5 minutes later I am in the studio! – that has saved me!! 

Another surprising thing is that my body has adjusted to living on pretty little sleep – and there is an adrenaline rush that I get from making a new song each night – so much so, that I have to force myself to go to bed sometimes.  I learned that the hard way – after 6 days in a row with just a few hours a night, I go full shut-down – that that is not good for anybody! 

One final thought about this project's affect on my life – the experience of having a REAL deadline is powerful, it makes you push through the part when you might have given up because you hit that wall and you think you can't – because it turns out that you CAN, and you HAVE TO!  People are counting on you!  It's like when somebody quits smoking or says they are going to lose weight and then tells everyone they know, so they can't cheat.  Accountability forces you to push through the darkness when your mind tries to convince you that you can't do it...because once you get to the other side – it is a beautiful thing indeed – and you can do it even easier next time!!



You can hear all of Heidi's songs on her blog HERE or on YouTube, Facebook, or Twitter.



Lillith's 365 Days of Creativity

Lillith Foxx in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada is doing 365 Days of Creativity. She explains, "I do some sort of art everyday, to try and keep up my momentum of creativity. From writing Short Stories, and Poems, Rants and thoughts, to trying my hand at (amateur) art, to some photoshop. I always try to write with the utmost honesty."...




Why did you decide to do this project?  I was always plagued with two terribly common conditions, procrastination and insomnia. I was a writer who only read, a dreamer who never slept. It was a terribly depressing time for me, and I realized, the only way to change your life is to simply do it. I dove headlong into this challenge, not really knowing what it would entail, but I needed an outlet for my pent up thoughts and opinions, and something that I could show for myself.






How has doing a yearlong/daily project affected your life? As soon as I started posting I felt care free. I mean, who's going to read a whole bunch of poems or look at second-rate art by some girl from Canada? Freedom of speech was never so realized as on the internet. I started to feel better about myself, whether I have emotional or physical troubles, I still have my art, my blog. Even when I'm depressed or lazy or hungover, I force myself to create something, and then I'm comforted by the fact that I at least finished a creation. And the challenge has inspired me to keep working on my bigger projects. I've finished a screenplay and started a novel since beginning this endeavour.

The best part about the project is when I meet an acquaintance on the street or at university, and they mention a post that I did. I've had people I considered to be near strangers thank me for writing, and that to me is the most astonishing thing. The fact that something I've written, something I created to express myself has helped or affected someone else, that's what really makes me smile every time I click the "New Post" button.

Sleep;            
Your eyes are closed
         and tightly
                 squeezed
to shut the light
         too bright
you whisper
         reach for my hand
it's rough and cold
         too alien
     for you to hold
         pushed away,
                  I understand
If eyes were closed
my lids like yours
I too would shy
                         away from          ice.


Your dreams stay
                   quiet
Your lips lay
                  closed
Your skin so
                friendly
but I, too bold
         shall sit and
                     wait
       shall stay for
                    days
while thoughts so
                    easy
hold
you
close


See all of Lillith's creative creations HERE.