Leap Year Photo Challenge

 

Vickie Willis, who is 1/2 of the 365 Buddha's project, has created The Leap Year Photo Challenge for 2016 with her friend Debbi and they want you to participate!

She's explains, "I've written prompts for the entire year, and they're a little weird. Lots of photo challenge prompts seem to read like scavenger hunts, so I tried to make this one a little more evocative by including quotes or Japanese words that people can Google. There are no "wrong" photos, of course. Each prompt is just meant as a jumping off point to take/make a photo."

The first 4 month's of prompts are already available so you can print them out and carry them with you!

Follow along on their blog or on Facebook. And if you take the challenge be sure to share the results! 

365 Jours en Mind Maps

Magalie in Versailles, France is creating 365 jours en mind maps. She explains, "I decided to create 365 mind maps to talk about the 'little things' which happened to me every day and to highlight the positivity of my life. It helps me to be grateful of what I have."...

Why did I decide to do this project? The idea of a project 365 was given to me by the magazine Flow and I’ve never heard about this before. It was at the beginning of 2015 and, at this time, I knew I couldn’t keep up a project like this. But I was really tempted… I spent a lot of time the last two years for work and, beyond becoming a very stressed person, I was frustrated to put aside my creativity.

I started this project in September, one week after beginning a new job. New start, new goals. Why mind maps? I’m an academic librarian in Paris and I discover mind mapping last year when I was preparing a training about active learning for PhD students. This way of thinking is amazing and I found it perfect for a daily project!

How has doing a yearlong/daily project affected my life? I wrote two assessments (the first after one month, the second after one hundred days) to show how this project leaves a mark on my life. I find myself at the same time more rigorous and less stressed.

But the biggest change is that I’m a lot more positive, mind mapping acting on me as a way of meditation every day. It allows me to put things into perspective and, at the end, I always prefer to write something positive down. Even when the times are frightening as there were in November in Paris. And I love mind mapping so much that I asked for a training about “visual mapping techniques” for Christmas!

See all of Magalie's mind maps HERE. 

Six of One, Half-dozen of the Other...

Foust in Richmond, Virginia is three years into drawing daily cartoons on Facebook in Six of One, Half-dozen of the Other...

Why did you decide to do this project? At first, I was challenged by my husband to see how long I could keep coming up with ideas for cartoons. Once I got started, it was fun to continue challenging myself.

How has doing a yearlong/daily project affected your life?  For one thing, a publisher who was familiar with my Six of One Facebook page gave me a book deal.

I also think the act of coming up with a cartoon every day is a great form of mental and creative exercise—good for the mind, the same way physical exercise is good for the body. It’s also helped me in my other creative work ( I am also a writer and printmaker). I used to go with whatever I thought of first, but now I tend to look for multiple ways to approach my ideas.

See all of Foust's cartoons HERE.

Regenerative Design A Day

Khalana Gocken in Longmont, Colorado is creating a Regenerative Design A Day...

She explains, "Regenerative landscapes heal nature. They build soil, habitat and human engagement. I am using a map of my property to draft a conceptual regenerative landscape design every day. There are some guidelines laid out on the blog page for the project.

1. Irrigation can be discontinued after the first few years of establishment, except for supplemental irrigation during periods of drought.
2. Hardscape materials must be sourced within 150 miles of the site.
3. Maintenance must be minimal after the first few years of establishment.
4. Space must provide habitat for native pollinators.

Why did you decide to do this project? I wanted to take this on for a few reasons. 1. I wanted to reignite my passion for regenerative landscapes. 2. There is a misconception that regenerative landscapes are wild and unkempt. I wanted to show that they can be anything you make them. 3. I am transitioning to design-only work, so this seemed like a great way to make people aware and interested.

How has doing a yearlong/daily project affected your life? Even this early into it I have learned a ton from this project. As a business owner I was having a hard time jumping into my "design brain" because I was so bogged down by other more executive tasks all the time. I really feel like this has changed my brain. I can jump in and out of "design brain" quite seamlessly now. It's been great.


 See all of Khalana's designs HERE.

My Creative Year

Angie Safford in Toledo, Ohio is creating My Creative Year.

Why did you decide to do this project? I wanted to do this project for a couple of reasons, I have a tendency to start things and not finish them, I'm hoping this gives me a chance to start something and finish it. I'm a huge procrastinator I'm hoping this helps that too and I wanted to find my creativity again in my life.

How has doing a yearlong/daily project affected your life? I look forward to the projects everyday and the discipline it gives me. I get a lot of people at work asking me about it. It takes me out of my comfort zone and helps me with my shyness.

See all of Angie's projects HERE.

365 Days of Art

Martin AKA Jig5aw in London, UK created 365 Days of Art. 

Why did you decide to do this project? Art and photography have always been two of my main interests, but with a growing family and ever challenging work commitments I found myself spending less and less time on these activities which I love. The decision to start a 365 days or art project with a new piece of art produced each day was potentially a drunken one, but now that I am 316 days into the project it was one of my better decisions whilst under the influence of alcohol. 

 

How has doing a yearlong/daily project affected your life? The regularity of producing a new idea each day has forced me into testing really how much I love art and the processes that come with it and I’ve been pleasantly surprised. Some family holidays, serious hangovers, technology issues two young children and unplanned work scenarios have all tested me to the limit, but somewhat surprisingly I have managed to stick to it. I wouldn’t say the project has affected my life other than through the generation of 316 days worth of materials and clutter in our home, but it feels like it has enhanced it. I have built up a pretty impressive ability to survive on a limited amount of sleep, but as the days have passed I have learnt to be more focused and efficient in my art creation so the hours I spend in bed are increasing when the kids allow it!

See all of Martin's days HERE.