365 Things in 365 Days Follow-up

Laura & John recently completed their collaborative project 365 Things in 365 Days...

Hike to Machu Picchu in Peru

When did your project start/end? Back in the winter of 2011, my partner John and I decided to make 2012 a year of "firsts" for us. We made the decision to do away with typical "new year's resolutions" and instead do more of the things that could keep us inspired, connected to the world around us, and busy with our hands.

We made a big, long list and vowed to do 365 things in 365 days; things we've never done before, but have always wanted to do. Some were big things (like visit the Amazon jungle, hike about 10,000 feet, and build a 10-foot snowman) and some were smaller (like build a robot, carve a pipe, and learn to yodel).

The project ran from Jan 14, 2012 - Jan 13, 2013. It was an epic, emotional, fun-filled year. One that we'll never forget.

Build a 10-ft snowman

What are the biggest lessons/skills you learned from doing your project? Samuel Beckett once said: “To be an artist is to fail, as no other dare fail… failure is his world.” This year we learned to embrace failure. We learned that it’s OK to not do everything perfectly - that it's OK to weave a shitty basket, or make clumpy yogurt, or swamp our canoe. We learned that failure is a healthy and necessary part of being a creative person. Ultimately, failure gets us into the habit of trying new things and taking risks.

We also learned that life moves fast. Super, crazy fast. A year goes by in the blink of eye. We learned that there's no time like the present to grab life and run with it!

Throw a spaghetti fight

In what ways did the project change your life? This 365 project changed the way we understand "fear" and "failure." Once we learned to abolished fear as an excuse to not follow through with our goals – once we realized that it’s in our realm to get things done, that we have a CHOICE in the matter – the prospect of accomplishing these goals became much more realistic. We could start taking risks without worrying about failure. This was a huge "aha!" moment for us.

Moving forward with our lives and our careers, we are now totally open to taking on those big, bad scary risks. If we fail? So what. We'll try again. And try some more.

Make a tree swing somewhere

Now what? More projects. More travels. More art! We're lucky in that we run a creative business together. We've always got projects on the go (they often involve lots of people). If you're interested, visit our creative agency and art house for the latest: www.labspaecestudio.com

GT behind a motorized vehicle

Read John & Laura's original 365 interview HERE.


See all of John & Laura's 365 Things HERE.