Screencast Project

Fauzan Riza Adinugraha (Ojan) & Putri Anugrah Sekar Ati (Putri) in Yogyakarta, Indonesia are spending a year taking photos daily in their Screencast Project. In Ojan's words, "This blog contains pictures about moments, mumbles, craft, trees, sky or any kind of things that just caught by our eyes." Started in Indonesian in May of 2010, they switched to English captions in December to have a wider audience. They plan to have an exhibition based on the project when they're done in May of 2011...

Why did you decide to do this project? We made this project when we’re not in same city. Via messenger we have very long conversation and realizing that we have same interest on craft, photography, and blogging. We’re not actually close each other, so we made this to know further each. Cell phone’s camera that we brought everyday becomes our main tool. So we decided to make this project.

How has doing a yearlong/daily project affected your life? This project made us feel like having tracks that we record every day. By doing this project, we’re just simply feeling like the day we through has meaning and stories. In addition, we also trained to work consistently.

See all of Ojan & Putri's photos HERE.

366 prints from Elin Waterston

Elin Waterston created one relief print every day for a year (and there were 366 since it was a leap year)!...

 

See all of the prints Elin created HERE.

And read an exclusive interview with Elin in my new book 365: A Daily Creativity Journal which is in stores now and can be ordered from your favorite local independent bookstore  and at all major online book retailers.

The Beheaded Goddess 365

Meg Place in Michigan has started a daily photography project she's calling The Beheaded Goddess 365... 

Why did you decide to do this project? Started January 1st, 2011, I decided to try to take and post at least one photo everyday for a year.  I'm an amateur photographer, I'd love to take some classes but at the moment I can't afford it, so I thought forcing myself to practice my technical and artistic skills everyday would help me improve.  I had never "365" projects, but I'm also working on setting up an Etsy shop to sell some of my better work and I saw the "Make Something Every Day" post today.  I was really excited to see that this is something that others have done.

How has doing a yearlong/daily project affected your life? I'm only a week into this project, but I have to say that I'm actually surprised I've lasted this long.  I'm someone who constantly has ideas and plans for projects but rarely gets them past the "thinking about it" phase.  I usually convince myself I'll fail before I even start.  I actually haven't told hardly anyone about this project of mine yet; I didn't even tell my husband until I'd at least done 3 or 4 posts.  So if I stick with this and finish I think it will profoundly change the way I feel about what I'm capable of.

See all of Meg's photos on her site HERE.

Utne likes 365

365 got a nice shout out at Utne this week...

See the entire post HERE.

The New York Times likes 365

We're #9! 365 was included in the New York Times article "100 Ways to Celebrate the 100th Day of School with The Times"...

Read the entire article HERE.

Jon Grinder's Bicycle Stories

Jon Grinder of Denver, Colorado (whose Pix X 366 was featured here previously), has started a new 365 project in which he's telling a bicycle related story every day!...

Why did you decide to do this project? I wanted to do another 365 project, because I felt my last one had led to some personal growth.  As I also wanted to work on my writing skills, this seemed like a good way to work on both skills and growth.

How has doing a yearlong/daily project affected your life? I am only in the second day of this particular project, as I write this.  But, I am very excited by the prospect of weaving these tales, on a daily basis.  And, I am curious to see if I have 365 discreet tales floating around in my vast cranium!


Read all of Jon Grinder's Bicycle Stories on his site HERE.

Adventures in Shoes

Heather in Oregon has started the daily photography project Adventures in Shoes...

Why did you decide to do this project? I have enjoyed seeing all of the 365 projects over the last few years, but have not made the time to do my own. This year I decided I was doing it and it was going to be something that I would enjoy. My sister actually told me that I should do something with shoes.

How has doing a yearlong/daily project affected your life? It's really quite lovely to have to a date with myself each day to remember to take a picture, then after taking multiple pictures deciding which one to post and then interacting with everyone that reads the blog. It's been so fun. I didnt realize that I needed to do this so badly until I was doing it. It's forced relaxation for me, I have to think about me, and I have to do it, and I love it...and I love shoes.

See all of Heather's shoes on her blog HERE.

365 Cat Ladies

Susan Faye of Willamina, Oregon spent 2009 documenting 365 Cat Ladies and "a few Cat Lads too" in watercolor and gouache!

Why did you decide to do this project?  I was new to Etsy.com and had begun to sell ACEO trading cards of my watercolor artwork featuring women holding cats.  I was inspired by The Daily Painters website and thought painting one a day would be a great way to get a little extra attention, and to become more disciplined as an artist.

How has doing a yearlong/daily project affected your life?  I'm certainly more disciplined now and the project drove more sales to my Etsy shop as desired.  What I didn't anticipate was the joy I've received from making friends with hundreds cat ladies and animal lovers from all around the world, and getting to tell their stories on my blog!

See all of the cat ladies (and lads) in slideshow that appears in the sidebar of her blog HERE.

Viral Kindness

My friend Joshua Berg in Burbank, CA has started a yearlong project he calls Viral Kindness!

In his words: I am not sure if this could be categorized as an art project but, certainly, a creative one.  Your 365-A-Day Journal inspired me to do an intentional kindness every day for a year.  In other words, something outside the realm of ordinary kindness that we would do anyway.  This is an act or action that would not have come about in normal day-to-day activities but is a step outside the routine - an extra effort.  I started the Facebook page, Viral Kindness for this purpose and, surprisingly, have found it difficult to update with new ideas daily.  That is definitely a commentary on how hard we have to work to find ways to give of ourselves.  It is easy to do the occasional charity work over the holidays or open the door for someone when the opportunity arises but, to find those opportunities or, indeed, create them daily is a challenge and takes intention and creativity.  It is vital that we practice to cultivate this ability.  So, I am going to do an extra kindness daily for 365 days starting on my 40th birthday, January 16th, 2011.

Why did you decide to do this project?  For the reasons stated above.  I have been practicing meditation and learning about loving kindness.  It has become so clear to me that cultivating kindness and goodwill toward others is what will really save the world.  I have two children and, for future generations, demonstrating for them how to take this action and inculcating them into kindness is probably the most important thing I can do.

How has doing a yearlong/daily project affected your life? We'll see.

See what kindness Josh has been up to HERE.

Art du Jour

Lisa Wood of Cedarburg, Wisconsin has started Art du Jour: A 365 day creative journey. She plans to make something artful every day for a year explaining, "This could be something completely new or a UFO (unfininish object). In the end, I hope to see my creativity and abilities grow stronger in one art form or another, find inspiration, and complete projects old and new. Here I will explore photography, sewing, knitting, beading, quilting...whatever my heart desires."...

Why did you decide to do this project? I needed motivation and accountability. I needed a challenge and certaily have time right now in my life.

How has doing a yearlong/daily project affected your life? Because I have something positive to focus on, my thoughts follow in the same direction. I feel a sense of accomplishment every day.

See all of Lisa's artful creations on her site HERE.

Collage A Day

Randel Plowman has been making (and selling) A Collage A Day since 2006!...

See what Randel has made today on his site HERE.

And look for an exclusive interview with Randel in my new book 365: A Daily Creativity Journal which is in stores now and can be ordered from your favorite local independent bookstore  and at all major online book retailers.

Living A Cute Life

Melanie in Australia is sharing something cute/kawaii in her life for an entire year, she calls it Living a Cute Life...

Why did you decide to do this project? When I started my blog ‘Beauty meets Kawaii’, I wanted to do something special.  I regularly post my own Beauty-related articles and as the blog combines my two loves ‘Beauty’ and ‘Kawaii’ (the Japanese word for Cute), I wanted to contribute more to the ‘Kawaii’ aspect of my blog.  As I was trying to sleep one night (I’m a night owl), I suddenly came up with the idea of committing to post one cute/kawaii-related item each day.  I am currently on Day 12 and I’m in love with my project!

How has a doing a yearlong/daily project affected your life? As I am on Day 12 of ‘Living a Cute Life’, it is still fresh and exciting for me.  I know that down the track I may have times when I feel ‘stumped’ for an idea, but it is a challenge that I am determined to complete!

See all of Melanie's cute life HERE.

NastyCute

My good friend Eliza Skinner in Los Angeles has started a hilarious project documenting "The nastiest thoughts of the cutest animals. Every day." NastyCute is a must read site...

Why did you decide to do this project? Reading Noah's book I was struck with how many people said "i got so much better at _____ by doing this project". So I thought about what I wanted to get better at: writing and music. The music thing I haven't figured out how to do yet, so I just jumped into a writing project first. Juxtaposing cute animals with dark comedy is definitely in my wheelhouse, so it seemed a good place to start. Plus, errebody lub aminals!

How has doing a yearlong/daily project affected your life? This one has only just started, so not so much yet. Before I did a project called "YAT - Year of Awesome Things" where I did at least one awesome thing every week. I didn't finish the year with that one, but it definitely improved my life by forcing me to do awesome exciting stuff, and by changing the way I looked at the stuff I already did. Band practice / pizza party just because? Sure, that counts as awesome.

Read all of Eliza's "nasty" thoughts HERE.

Etsy Success Symposium - February 8, NYC

I've been asked to present a workshop at the Etsy Success Symposium in New York City on February 8th.

The event is a full-day of workshops designed to inspire and educate Etsy sellers! My event, Generating Creative Energy, is about helping people experience the benefits of daily practice. I will talk about my own experiences with the Skull-A-Day project and lead a fun hands-on exercise based on the types of activities found in my book 365: A Daily Creativity Journal.

Additional speakers/workshops include...

Vanessa Bertozzi: Beyond the Comfort Zone: Presenting Yourself Professionally

Dave Brown: I'm Tweeting This: Confessions From a Social Media Junkie
 

April Bowles-Olin: Attract Your Target Market — You're Not Walmart
 

Sarah Feingold: Insider Secrets to Copyright and Intellectual Property


Lorrie Veasey: The Greedy Crafter: Getting What You Want 

Michelle Ward: Ascertaining Your Awesomeness & Articulating It 


Steven Zelin: Intro to Bookkeeping for Creative Entrepreneurs 


If you're an Etsy seller in the NYC area I hope you'll come out and say "hi"!

The Etsy Success Symposium

Etsy Labs, 55 Washington St., DUMBO, Brooklyn, NY 11201

Tuesday, February 8, 2011

9am to 6:30pm

More details about the event can be found HERE.
And tickets can be purchased HERE.

365 Bears Drawn on My Phone

Phil Barbato of Richmond, Virginia is committed to making a bear illustration every day this year using AutoDesk Sketchbook on his iPhone with a loose time limit of 10 minutes. It's called 365 Bears Drawn on My Phone...

Why did you decide to do this project? Structure and goals are important for me to stay productive and keep my creative brain active. I'm also very lazy, so a project with little or no barriers to entry is ideal. I have my phone on or near me most of the day so I can create and post a drawing on one device from anywhere anytime (my 12 year-old self thinks that's f$&king amazing).

How has doing a yearlong/daily project affected your life? Not much yet.  I expect this project to inspire other unforeseen projects and get me motivated to restate my web-comic.

Also, I expect the book and movie deals to come pouring in any minute now.

See all of Phil's bears HERE.

GOing 365

Andrea Zelenak of Rochester Hills, Michigan is GOing 365! In her words, "The GO effect is a non-profit organization that I feel very passionate about. Many times throughout life, there are certain things everyone believes to be impossible. The GO effect proves these things are possible by showing the product of your belief, in yourself as well as across the world. My project is all about the GO effect. In my 365 days, I will make things that either promote, help or give to the GO effect, without spending a penny along the way. Art can create change. Change begins with one movement."...

Why did you decide to do this project?  Noticing this book made me do a straight up double take in Barnes and Noble (where you look the first time, but don't really SEE until the second).

I've always loved doing creative things-its basically who I am. I feel like art is one of those things that is seen as a waste of time. I don't think people  understand the power of creativity and what it can really do. I want to show people the effect art can have, no matter how stupid it may seem.

"The usefulness for the useless is good news for artists, for art serves no useful purpose. It has to do with changing minds and spirits" -John Cage

How has doing a yearlong/daily project affected your life? I'm only on day 8-and so far it's consumed all of my free time. I'm not complaining at all...I wish I had more free time to spend on each creation. Its changed my outlook on how I want to spend my time as well. I'm going to college next fall- and so far I don't really have a plan for my life. Being reminded about how much I love to design, brainstorm and think in general, I've realized I've forgotten this all throughout high school. I'm kind of worried its too late to pursue anything out of. I'm not the best artist in the world, but through one week I've noticed a passion I don't want to let go of...ever.

Follow Andrea's progress on her site HERE.

Every Day is Awesome likes 365

I had the great opportunity to chat with my friend Paul Overton of DudeCraft and Every Day is Awesome on his new podcast Ten Minutes of Awesome!

Listen to the entire episode HERE.

iRobot365

And a bonus post today!

Sean Smith, whose skull3sixfive project I just posted, started another project the day after he finished that one! This time it's a daily comic strip "based on the exploits of a little alien robot that gets mistakenly abandoned on earth." called iRobot365...

Why did you decide to do this project? About ¾ through my last 365 project I started to think about what to for 2011. I wanted to pick a theme but in a style that would challenge me. Creating a comic strip daily will certainly stretch my creativity both with story and art!

How has doing a yearlong/daily project affected your life? Well the first one went up today – felt good to be doing something different! We will see where it goes to!

Follow Sean's Robot hi-jinks on Flickr HERE.

skull3sixfive

Sean Smith in Calgary, Alberta, Canada was inspired by my Skull-A-Day project to spend 2010 creating his own skull3sixfive!...

Why did you decide to do this project? I wanted to return to some more tactile drawing instead of only digital art. I used to draw skulls all the time when I was younger so this seemed like a good fit. Around the same time I stumbled upon a website: skull-a-day where Noah Scalin created an artistic skull each day of the year. This became my inspiration to create a small art-piece each day with the focus on skulls.

How has doing a yearlong/daily project affected your life? It has been an amazing process!

I have connected with others around the world with similar projects. One individual in England started the same day as I for the same reasons as I - he was also inspired by the skull-a-day site! We had never spoken before - just met traveling down the same digital highway!

The project ran to its completion [on December 31st] and I am both glad and disappointed to be done – an amazing journey!

See all of Sean's Skulls on his Flickr page HERE.

Crazy Rebecca's 365 Challenge

After finishing a 365 project where she posted a picture of herself everyday, Crazy Rebecca is now doing a "stash use-up challenge" where she has to "use what I have of yarn, beads and fabric to make gifts and sell on etsy. The challenge is NOT to buy anything all year to add to Mt Craftmore."...

Why did you decide to do this project? I decided to do this challenge because I am drowning craft supplies and my husband is not as good natured about it as he used to be.

How has doing a yearlong/daily project affected your life? I really enjoyed posting everyday last year. Having something you are committed to gives you a nice sense of accomplishment when you actually carry through with it.

Follow Rebecca's progress on her blog HERE.

365 Talks & Signings – Charlottesville, VA

I've been asked to talk on two panels as part of the upcoming Virginia Festival of The Book in Charlottesville!

The Festival is March 16–20 and I will be speaking at the following events:

Creativity: Four Artists and Writers Share Their Visions

Wednesday, March 16th – 8:00 PM

with 

Ashley Bryan (Words to My Song's Life), Sophy Burnham (The Art of Intuition), 

and David Baggett (Tennis and Philosophy).

@ City Council Chambers  

605 E Main St

434.970.3113

AND

The Illustrated Book

Friday, March 18th, 2011 – 2:00 PM

with 

Phoebe Potts (Good Eggs) and 

Christaphora Robeers (The Quiet Voice of the Outer Banks)

@City Council Chambers  

605 E Main St

434.970.3113

I hope if you're in the area you'll stop by and say "hi" and get your copy of Skulls and 365: A Daily Creativity Journal personalized!

SameTime

Michael K. Lease and Brad Walker decided to work together on a daily photography project in which they each took a photo in their respective cities at the exact same time (7:15pm) each day for a year and then shared them together online. They called it SameTime...

See all of the photos from their project HERE.

And read an exclusive interview with Brad and Michael in my new book 365: A Daily Creativity Journal which is in stores now and can be ordered from your favorite local independent bookstore  and at all major online book retailers.

365 Portraits

Brooklyn, New York based photographer Bill Wadman created 365 Portraits, each of a different person, in 2007!...

Why did you decide to do this project? I had done two other year long projects before 365 Portraits ( my first 365 Project, and then a weekly 52 Project).  Mostly it was a motivational tool and a natural anti-depressant. Before taking these things on I would say to myself, "You say you're a photographer or a musician or whatever, but if that's the case, why aren't you writing music and taking pictures right now? Put your money where your mouth is."  Though you realize in the end what a wonderful use of time it is. So much to show for your year.

How has doing a yearlong/daily project affected your life? They've had a massive effect on my life. In fact it was because of 365 Portraits that I switched careers from art direction to photography. When I'm not doing them I feel a real sense of missing the satisfaction that comes with creating something each day, all the time. It's quite addictive. The trick is coming up with new challenges to keep it about the results and not about the rules.

See all of Bill's Portraits on his site HERE.