A Postcard A Day

Claressa Wilcox of Smiths Station, Alabama is making A Postcard A Day...

She explains...
I'm making a postcard every day for a year. I started on January 5th, and my sister teased me for not beginning with the new year. But now I'm nearly half-way through my year of postcards. I have used different mediums and found inspiration in places I certainly would not have expected, from things that make me laugh to things that make me angry, kids' cartoons to classic literature, exotic animals to my mom's glasses. I've learned a lot along the way: such as how to ride a bike, make a fantastic soup, draw with painting software, and cut kirigami.  I've also discovered things about myself, that I'm more motivated than I thought I was, that I'm more flexible, and that manila is my favorite paper.

Why did you decide to do this project? I wanted to test myself and push myself to really do something creative. I'm starting college in the fall, and I wanted to see if I had the discipline and maturity to take on (and keep on going) a project like this. To be honest, before I bought the Daily Creativity Journal, I'd heard of this kind of project before, but it never occurred to me that it was something I could do. I was inspired to start my own year-long, daily art project as I flipped through the Journal over the sales table at Barnes and Noble. That was over 130 days ago.

How has doing a yearlong/daily project affected your life? It has become a regular part of my routine, even if that means staying up later than I'd planned three nights out of five. So far this is the longest single project I've ever worked on (except for school, of course), and I've been doing it so long that my day feels incomplete if I'm unable to make a card. It has also made me practice art daily and forced me to stretch my creative muscles in trying to think of new things to do every day. I can definitely see my art improving, even if that just means it's getting cleaner and more "professional". By making postcards my medium and theme, I intended to use this project to connect with my family and friends and even strangers. But so far I've been so busy making the cards that I haven't been sending any out!

See all of Claressa's postcards HERE.

365 Days and Painting

Natalia Buitrago in Atlanta, Georgia is doing 365 Days and Painting.

She explains...
I am painting on a mini 3"x3" canvas every day for 365 days. I love going to book stores and reading different books, usually about anything that has to do with the arts. I literally picked up your book because it was in front of me and the cover caught my attention. I read it and became super excited about doing a project. It was the end of December 2010 so it was perfect timing for a new project to start in the new year 2011. no silly new year resolutions.. but instead a daily project documented in a digital blog that everyone could see. The ideas about what to do started to flow.. I finally decided to combine two of my favorite hobbies, Painting and collecting Pinky St (which are 4 inch tall figures). So I decided I would paint a mini painting every day of whatever I wanted that day and would take a pinky st and serve as a model for my painting. I sometimes coordinate them together and sometimes not. I am really enjoying this project, family and friends truly keep me motivated to keep going.

Why did you decide to do this project? I decided to do this project because it looked challenging as well as fun and interesting. Also to improve my creativity as a graphic designer.

How has doing a yearlong/daily project affected your life? Doing a yearlong/daily project has affected me in a very positive way, I truly appreciate my family and friends for following my blog and always writing positive and encouraging messages. Being committed to doing something every day is not easy and consistency is the key to any successful project. I really like the idea of challenging myself to make something new each day.

See all of Natalia's days & paintings HERE.

A Year and a Day of Mythical Poetry

Mythica von Griffyn in Denver, Colorado is doing A Year and a Day of Mythical Poetry. She says, "A year and a day used to be the amount of time for an engagement in the old days. It is considered a year of commitment."...

Why did you decide to do this project?  After seeing the movie "Julie & Julia" seeing how a year project affected her life, and became a movie, I decided to do write poetry for a year and a day. Also another poetry critic had said that American poetry only reacted to the environment rather than created something we could strive for. Thus began my journey on September 13th, 2010.

How has doing a yearlong/daily project affected your life? After the first 100 days I then realized that I had also not had a migraine since I began the project! That in processing my emotions through the poetry I greatly reduced the frequency and severity of the ones I did get, now only sporadically due to something in the physical environment. I have had many people tell me through comments on the poetry website how the poetry has helped inspire them as much as it has me. My poetry website has grown from 2,000 hits a month to 5,000... and I have been FLOORED & deeply touched by the faithful following.


Read all of Mythica's poetry HERE or on Facebook HERE.

I Am Not A Real Fish

Gail Griggs in Cheshire, UK is doing a project called I am not a real fish. She explains that her goal is, "to take a new photo every day which features the same small orange plastic toy goldfish. Why the fish? Because it’s the first thing I came across that was small enough to fit in my handbag, wouldn’t break and could be easily cleaned. And because I like orange too."...

Why did you decide to do this project? I needed to take more photos, more often and I guessed this would make me do so. After a short career break to have a baby, I felt I’d lost my photographer status and needed to get back into some sort of work routine, which is hard when you’re freelance. I also needed to get my creative juices flowing again and claw back some me-time every day. I’m so glad I started the project. I’ve got so much more than I anticipated out of it. It’s amazing how agreat comment from a complete stranger on one of my images can make me smile all day.

How has doing a yearlong/daily project affected your life? Well, I’m now four months in with over 120 photos and it has made me realise I don’t have to have a few hours a day to create a fab photo. Often those that I took in two minutes are the ones that get noticed, while others I spent days planning and getting right just pass by uncommented. I do feel like a photographer again, and I feel others now see me as that again too. It’s hard for friends and family not to when I’m wandering round their house looking for somewhere interesting to photograph my fish!

I was also really shy of my work and scared about putting it out there for everyone to see. But, I’ve found sharing my work on the internet isn’t such a scary place after all – I’ve learnt to just stop thinking about things and get on with it. I’ve even made quite a few print sales of my images. You never know unless you try.

See all of Gail's fish photos on her Facebook page HERE. 

Creatures and Ives

Chip Trout in Richmond, VA is doing a project he calls Creatures and Ives. He says, “After considering several options I decided to go with this. I came up with it after looking at a tattered Currier & Ives book we had sitting in a give away pile. As I thumbed through the pages I noticed that many of the drawings had scenes and characters that were extremely active; ice skating, sled races, fire fighting, hunting, etc. The sledding scenes looked as though they were running from something rather than racing. I did a quick proof of concept (see below) to see if it was viable.”...

Why did you decide to do this project? This was something optional that our team at Snagajob decided to do as a creative exercise. It was open to any subject matter and medium. People are doing everything from sculpture to photography. It's been great to see the variety of work being created.

(be sure to click for the larger version of this image and a surprise)

How has doing a yearlong/daily project affected your life? It's provided me with a dedicated "creative" time. It's easy to come home flip on the TV and veg out for hours on end. The discipline of creating something everyday ensures that at least once a day I'll be faced with a solving a creative challenge. It's also been something my kids look forward seeing every night. It's great to see their reaction and I even ask for their input so they can feel involved.

See all of Chip's creatures on his site HERE.

Dog A Day

Archie Miller in Charlottesville, Virginia was inspired by my Skull-A-Day project to create Dog A Day. He explains, "It was originally a dog a day for 91 days starting April 1, 2011. After just 30 days I decided to expand it to 365 days. It’s drawing, sculpture, found objects, optical illusions, or anything else I can use to get it done daily."...

Why did you decide to do this project? I have a beagle, Caroline, who is my daily inspiration, and often my subject. Dogs and art go way back providing insights into our own behavior, and at the same time, enriching their own lives through a meaningful relationship. It’s very symbiotic.

How has doing a yearlong/daily project affected your life?So far, it seems everything in my life has changed. I’m better at problem-solving, I’m more creative, I see things differently, my relationships with others have improved, my dog likes me better, and Osama Bin Laden was finally caught.

See all of Archie's dogs HERE.

Symon Chow's Picture-A-Day

Photographer and Graphic Designer,  Symon Chow in Brooklyn, NY is doing a project he simply calls Symon Chow's Picture-A-Day. He says about himself, "Symon Chow is what you can (and probably would) call a 'slacker'. But he likes to refer to himself more as an artist with Insomnia (as well as some other clinical issues). Symon recently needed a hard kick in the pants to create more work, so he decided to start a 365 project to mix things up and to get all those wacky creative juices flowing again."...

Why did you decide to do this project? I decided to start this picture a day project because I felt I needed to broaden my horizons, at least in regards to my photography. I felt that my work was getting a little stale and I needed something challenging to get me moving. I have been wanting to do a 365 project for some time now, and I thought, what better time them to start now! I hope that this experience will take me in a new direction with my work, as well as hone my current styles of choice.

How has doing a yearlong/daily project affected your life? I wont lie, for a photographer that (normally) produced maybe 4-6 significant images a year, this has been a bumpy road. But I think I am doing alright. I HAVENT MISSED ANY DAYS YET! If nothing else, it has made me more aware of my surroundings, I am thinking more like I did when I was back in school. Seeing things through my (if you would) "brain-lens" again, has brought back some flavor to my more often then not, complacent life. I'm a little over 100 days in (I started this one Jan 1st, 2011). I feel that as long as I'm posting, I'm doing right by my viewers and myself. Whether it be pictures I take in a studio or pictures I take on my iPhone, at least I'm doing something with my self!

I know it's not all going to be puppies and daisies, but in the long run, I think this is going to be good for all involved :)

See all of Symon's pictures HERE.

New York 365

Liz Jehan in NYC is spending a year exploring and documenting her city in New York 365 ...

Why did you decide to do this project? When I first started living in New York, I was constantly in awe of everything around me. Everything was new and exciting for me back then. Even a ride on the subway was fun. However, that was 15 years ago, and lately I have been finding myself unimpressed by the city. It is not because the city has suddenly become unimpressive. It is because I have stopped paying attention. I recently rediscovered a picture I took of the city skyline, and it reminded me of how I felt about New York 15 years ago. It was almost love at first sight all over again. Yes, I still love New York and this project is a tribute to that love. NY 365 is an ode to the city, and a prayer that my love affair with it will never end. 

How has doing a yearlong/daily project affected your life?  The project has rekindled in me a sense of wonderment and appreciation for beauty and the chance every day to witness it in all its forms. On a practical level, the NY 365 project has forced me to learn more about my camera, and photography in general. The project has also helped me reconnect with my long lost friend who was inspired to start her own 365 project. It is a parallel to NY 365, but hers is in NJ.   

See all of Liz's New York HERE.

TreeSixFive

Lee-Ann Galvin in West Midlands, England is creating a project she calls TreeSixFive...

Why did you decide to do this project? This year I had already started a 365 'photo a day' project, but my camera died and it all went to pot. I decided I really wanted to do something each day again but wanted something that none of my friends were doing, and something that allowed me to use whatever medium I saw fit on that day. As a Graphic Design student at university I've already realised the woes of being stuck in a creative rut, so the need to explore my creative style was top priority. By choosing a subject matter I hope to find some interesting and new techniques and solutions as I'm sure it is going to get alot more difficult as the days pass. I think i'm going to have to purchase 365: A Daily Creativity Journal to keep myself productive.

How has doing a yearlong/daily project affected your life? It's already stopped me being a lazy student and to think creatively everyday. I'm less than a week into this and already feel inspired by so many things, I just hope I can continue it till next April!

See all of Lee-Ann's trees HERE.

The Dabbling Mum Speaks

Alyice Edrich in South Dakota is making daily posts to DM Speaks (short for The Dabbling Mum Speaks) where she shares "off the cuff" movie, book, and product reviews and more...

Why did you decide to do this project? The simple answer: I needed to jumpstart my creativity. I needed to find my passion for writing again.

The long answer: A few years ago I lost my mother...her death, accompanied with the dramatic drop in my business due to our economic situation here in the U.S., and a nasty bout of seasonal depression since moving to South Dakota, sent me in a downward spiral. Though I was functional, and upbeat around family. When they were away at work or school, I simply had no desire to do the things I loved, the things that used to drive me. Over time, I simply did "just enough" to get by.

Then last March (2011), I realized that if I wanted to get my passion for writing back, I needed to be inspired.

It wasn't enough to simply post a few reviews on a blog, or join in group discussions in forums, or even write queries for possible paid writing gigs. I needed to feel the passion others felt for their writing.

And I figured that if I needed that, there were probably other writers who did too. After all, so many have shared with me that they were in the same boat when it came to their writing... losing their passion because they have to work so much harder just to make ends meet or to land a decent paying gig as a writer.

That got me to thinking, "Why don't I pay it forward by allowing others to showcase their talents and their books?"

One of the prerequisites for getting published on my blog is that the author has to be willing to take their eyes off themselves, for just a moment, and answer questions that essentially "pay it forward"...answering questions that may help a seasoned writer get out of a rut or help a beginning writer find their way. Then, and only then, can they talk about their latest book.

At first, I had planned on doing one featured interview a week, but the response was so fantastic that I had enough material for 3 features a week: Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.


How has doing a yearlong/daily project affected your life? I have been doing this project since March of 2011, so nearly 2 months now. But it feels like so much longer since I currently have 3 months of posts scheduled to go live on the blog, with at least 3 months worth to go. And I cannot tell you how AMAZING it's been.

First, to be able to help a deserving writer spread the word about their book and their talent as a writer is a wonderful feeling. I forgot how great it can feel to do help an author spread the word about their books. And truth-be-told, there's no way I would've been able to offer that many unbiased reviews. So being able to pay it forward through these interviews has been great.

Second, the interviewees have loved the whole "paying it forward" idea and it's been so inspirational reading about the different ways they handle certain situations; especially how they deal with writer's block.

Third, the readers can't get enough! Though the blog doesn't get a lot of comments, I, myself, and the interviewees, themselves, have received personal emails thanking us for the letting them know about the books, and for sharing so many personal stories.

All that aside, it's also done wonders for me on a personal level. I can feel my writer's soul coming back to life and I know that soon, my passion for writing will be rekindled.

See what the Dabbling Mum is saying today HERE.

365 days of Art

Alexa Sanchez-delaCruz in Pocono's, Pennsylvania is making 365 days of Art...

Why did you decide to do this project?  I just began scrap booking and card making and I wanted a way to be able to explore other mediums while at the same time challenging myself to think outside the box

How has doing a yearlong/daily project affected your life? I just began 3 days ago and so far so good.  Previous to beginning this project I was already making a card a day to be entered into several card challenges, but like I said before I wanted to do something that will help me think outside the box.  Card challenges are great  but most times you are creating according to set rules and I wanted something different.

See all of Alexa's art HERE.

Year in Blue

Johannah Willsey in Richmond, VA is documenting a Year in Blue...

Why did you decide to do this project? Several friends started 365 projects around the beginning of 2011. I saw how much enjoyment and satisfaction the projects brought them, but I had no particular inspiration for a project of my own. One day, daydreaming while my children played, I thought the color blue would make an interesting focus for a daily photography project. It seemed a throw-away idea at first, but it stuck with me all day, and I took my first blue photo that evening.

How has doing a yearlong/daily project affected your life? My primary artistic medium is mosaic, but that work is on the back burner for now. I had been missing the sense of purpose and personal satisfaction garnered from regular creative work. Meanwhile, I’ve been working to improve my photography but needed an “excuse” to take and share artistic photos, something beyond my children’s daily antics and the passing of the seasons in my backyard.

 This project has met both those needs, the regular creation of art and the improvement of my photography. I have been enthused at how quickly I meet the goals I set for myself, whether those goals are technical aspects with which I wish to become comfortable, new ways to look at and photograph the world, or challenges to my emotional limitations. Working on this project has set up a sort of feed-back loop with my mosaic work, in that I first thought of myself as an “artist” through mosaics, which helped give me the confidence to move forward with photography, and I now find myself applying lessons learned through this photography project to my mosaic work. I have a broader, stronger sense of myself an artist as a result.

See all of Johannah's blues HERE.

HaikuDawg

Danielle (Dani) A. Durkin and Maria Ayoob located in Pacific Palisades, CA and Albany, NY respectively are doing a project together called HaikuDawg.

Dani explains, "Each of us submits a haiku a day using the 5-7-5 line format. All topics are acceptable. D.D. is trying to juxtapose the constant yet ever-changing reality of pain and suffering in her/the body compared to seasons and celestial movement with a Buddhist-inspired philosophy. M.Y.A. wanted a break from observing herself and a reason to pay more attention to the urban, weather-afflicted, oddly beautiful landscape of Upstate New York—But finds herself reverting to observations of her inner landscape.

Suffering daily,

Body and mind churn, twisted;

Stillness invites peace.

—D.D. #62 5.7.11

In my dreams home is:

Vinyl records, clean linens

Open windows, dusk.

—M.Y.A. #62 5.7.11

Why did you decide to do this project? We started this project to both stimulate our creativity and engage in a sort of poetic conversation with one another. "Making something," or "being creative" is integral to both our lives, albeit in different forms. As longtime friends who currently live on opposite coasts, we welcome the opportunity to participate in one another's world despite the geographical distance. We both yearn to express our creative selves and feel that sharing this aspect of ourselves is fun, challenging, and pretty darn cool. And we are nothing if not cool.

Wracked with guilt. The crime:

Failure to delight in a  

Sunny Saturday.

—M.Y.A. #55 4.30.11

Friend close to my heart,
Our struggles are the same,
As is our deep joy.
—D.D. #54 4.29.11

How has doing a yearlong/daily project affected your life? D.D.: As a poet and writer suffering from a serious illness (recovering from  Cushing's Syndrome and Adrenal Insufficiency), having the energy and  optimism to write a poem a day has been healing beyond measure. Lacking the  cognition or "chi" to engage with the world for some time only deepened my  compassion for various life challenges. Making art, making poetry, and  connecting with someone I love are all things I cherish now more than ever. Working on HaikuDawg with M.Y.A. is a part of my continuing recovery; a tribute to our special friendship; and fun. Fun is healing! And so is the  expression of my creativity. It's especially satisfying to watch the poems  accumulate and connect to where we've been over time. M.Y.A.: I’ve often shied away from “creative pursuits,” although I would define creativity broadly and I create at work, in my relationships, in dancing, in looking for the absurd in the every day. But “making art” and having my voice and thoughts displayed and recorded is outside my comfort zone. At this particular time in my life, however, I want to stretch my comfort zones as much as I can. Engaging in this with D.D., my dear friend, makes this pursuit safe; engaging in it with D.D., writer and poet, makes it a little intimidating! It turns out that putting words to some aspect of my inner and outer daily life, and playing with language, is somehow calming to my busy brain. And having a daily “conversation” with D.D. in an unexpected and lovely turn in our relationship. We haven’t talked this much since college.

I didn’t know this:

The more love you give, the more

Easily love grows

—M.Y.A. #40 4.15.11

Crepuscular wind
The spreading, waxing moonlight
Love dawns as ever.
—D.D. #40 4.15.11

Read all of Danielle and Maria's haiku HERE.

Daily Bird

Jayne Selwa in Medford, New Jersey, USA is making a Daily Bird...

Why did you decide to do this project? In early March I was poking around in a bookstore and saw Noah's book 365… I was immediately taken with the idea, and decided right then that I would do a 365 project. That’s really it – I loved the idea, and said “I’m in!” I decided on birds for my theme because I love birds, and they currently play a significant part in my life. I decided to start my project on the Spring Equinox because it is such a good time for beginnings.

How has doing a yearlong/daily project affected your life? Committing to make something every day has really, in a very short amount of time, helped me push through a bit of an artistic block. By making something every day, I don’t have time to worry about whether it’s “good enough”. I only have time to make it, photograph/scan it, post it, and journal it. It’s true, we all know this but forget: it doesn’t matter if our creative output is “good enough”. What matters is that we are working, creating, consistently.

See all of Jayne's birds HERE.

Lydia's 365 Birds

Lydia Pennington Lusane in Cincinnati, Ohio is using the prompts in my book to make 365 Birds...

Why did you decide to do this project? I have always gotten "creative itches" from time to time, but often give up after trying to start something bigger than what my time/materials/experience allows.  I found this book while browsing through a bookstore one day, and realized that it was what I needed: daily inspiration and instruction that would both stretch my creative thinking and ability, balanced with the simplicity of being able to do each thing in a day.

How has doing a yearlong/daily project affected your life? The last few years of my life have been pretty rough, with many things happening that were out of my control.  Doing this project has given me something each day that is about me...something I decide, create, and share. In addition to my being able to develop my creative thinking and ability, it's been something I know each day that I'll have to enjoy.  My 5-year-old daughter also enjoys it, asking each day for me to read to her what "our" next project will be. 

See all of Lydia's birds HERE.

Habitual Hands

Tricia Whitworth Daniels in Chico, California is doing a project called Habitual Hands...

Why did you decide to do this project? I enjoy collecting hands. I have a visceral reaction to the form. My collection probably numbers in the hundreds. Many are creeped out by my hands but I'm OK with that. I have wanted to photo-document the collection for years.

I am also a graphic designer... This project allows me to combine the two with the challenge of a daily deadline. My only client is the calendar. My compensation is the daily accomplishment of finishing a project.

How has doing a yearlong/daily project affected your life? I started in February. So far this challenge is a welcome distraction. As my day-to-day life sometimes meanders in directions beyond my control... Habitual Hands is a project that I give myself permission to spend time on, and I completely enjoy it. I have made wonderful visual discoveries that would have never happened if I didn’t start this project. I even made a crazy hand-shaped meatloaf to bring to an Oscar themed party! Good times.

See all of Tricia's hands HERE.

Release My Creativity...

Kelly Lemmers in Glendale, California is doing a project called Release My Creativity. She explains, "Looking to dig deep within myself and find my creativity that I lost or left somewhere!  I have not decided on one material or one idea as yet because I enjoy just seeing what I come up with. I think it will slowly start to narrow into one idea as I progress!"...

Why did you decide to do this project? I have an art degree and been kinda lazy and unmotivated to stick to creating for a while. I saw this book and thought I would try it because as they say if you stick to something for 3 weeks it becomes a habit! I want to make creating and crafting a habit and daily routine.

How has doing a yearlong/daily project affected your life? I am on day 11 and its going great! I love thinking about what i want to make and looking forward to posting on my blog. These projects force me to stop, look and think about where and what i am doing, how can I make that interesting and showing people what I am doing. So far I have made some projects  that I normally would not even try or think about doing.

See how Kelly is releasing her creativity HERE.

Here's Looking At Hue

Anonymous is doing a project cataloging inspirational work by color called Here's Looking At Hue...

Why did you decide to do this project? 
Part 1: Why I started HLAH
Here's Looking At Hue was created as a tool to catalog the designs, art, typography, photography and other found material that inspired me.

Part 2: The evolution of HLAH
After a few postings, it occurred to me that I wanted HLAH to be more than a website where images are stored. I had designed it with infinite scroll, so you didn't have to click over to see more images, and I enjoyed that feature, but for the times, when I really just needed one image and I had to scroll all the way through I realized it would be more valuable if you could sort the pictures by what you needed and not just browse. So, I began cataloging the images by color and created the menu bar at the top so I could easily sort the images as I needed.  For people making mood boards or other inspirational pieces, HLAH can be a handy tool. Not only can they sort the images by color and find that perfect Aqua picture. The content is also refreshed daily, so they are viewing new fodder for thought, while still having access to my library of previous posts.

The second reason for evolving the site was to actually resist the ease of reposting the images. The reason for this are is two fold: 1) I feel it encourages people to actually seek out and explore artists and images that move them. 2) To try and prevent the avalanche effect. When I say avalanche effect I mean when users repost something so quickly and often that they create an avalanche of that one artist or image which circulates over and over, and results with the members of the community only seeing a limited amount of content.

Part 3: Future of the site.
I would love to create a community of catalogers as this project expands and bring together people with vast interests to collect what they find interesting. I see the categories ranging from art to science and everything in between.

How has doing a yearlong/daily project affected your life? Taking this project on has forced me to simplify my life. I prioritize differently and make decisions about what I do based on the fact that I have to find time to: 1) find work that is inspiring, 2) curate the images so they tell a new story, 3) find time to post and 4) still run my freelancing business. When time wasters come up like wanting to sit down and watch the whole first season of a TV series (mad men*cough*east bound and down), it makes that decision easy to identify and remove because I know it isn't as satisfying as discovering something new. Don't get me wrong, I think down time is valuable, and by no means do I think of myself as an all work and no play person. But I feel empowered and honestly want to work on my blog, and that is a good feeling.

Building this site has really exposed me to the community for artists that exists online.  I’ve been astounded how friendly and open-minded people are and I’ve made a lot of acquaintances on Twitter of folks that support HLAH - their comments and feedback is invaluable.

I look forward to where the rest of the year takes me.

See all of Anonymous's year of color HERE.

Recycle Girl

Ren Geertsen in Taos, New Mexico is doing a project called Recycle Girl. She explains, "My goal is to make a recycled (or repurposed) project everyday for a year, meaning that I have to make something from what would otherwise be trash or is not really appealing in the form it is in (stained clothing, old picture frames, ugly furniture, etc.), using as little new material as possible."...

Why did you decide to do this project? I decided to do a year long project when I came into the store where I work and found a copy of "365 A Daily Creativity Journal."  Before I even finished glancing through it, I had made up my mind.  It sounded like so much fun!  The fact that it would take up tons of my time was intriguing to me because I had been partaking in too much unsuccessful dating and liked the idea of the project being a relationship of sorts, something that would require commitment and growth.  I decided on the recycled theme, because the store I work at, Seconds Eco Store, is full of beautiful recycled art and crafts, and I feel inspired to create just by being in the store.  Also recycling means free materials.

How has doing a yearlong/daily project affected your life? The project has affected my life in many ways.  I am trying new things because a daily commitment requires that I try what ever idea I come up with that day, rather than waiting for a "good enough" idea.  I don't remember ever feeling like I was taping into as much creavitity before.  It seems to build on itself, one idea leads to another.  In many ways my life seems more chaotic.  I have piles of things I am collecting all over my house and things I've already created scattered everywhere.  That and the fact that I seem to have less time for things like dishes and scrubbing the toilet, make my house more of a mess.  I see the beauty and humor in that though, and it's worth all the fun I'm having.  I don't get lonely when I'm busy with a project, I'm spending less time going out and drinking, and I'm making new friends.  People are collecting things for me and  some of it I would never imagine wanting or using, which makes me get even more creative.  It's fun to show people what I made out of what they gave me.  I feel like a more interesting and unique person because of it.

See all of Ren's recycling projects HERE.