Veda Aprile in Oakville, Ontario, Canada is creating 365 Days of Butterflies...
Why did you decide to do this project? I had been
following the progress of my friend Lilian
#lilsheart on instagram for
awhile which put the bug in my ear, then when I retired Lilian gave me
Noah's book as a gift. I was pretty excited as i had been itching
to do the project just from following my friend. I chose butterflies to
represent the changes that were happening in my life (retirement) and
wanted to concentrate on the positive changes and growth I knew I would
be experiencing in this new life of freedom from 'work.' Also I wanted
to pick a subject I knew I would enjoy painting or drawing. I added the
gratitude portion to the project on day one, when I thanked my friend
for the book, at which point i thought what a good idea to keep me
grateful over the course of a year.
How has doing a
yearlong/daily project affected your life? I
think this was the perfect time to start a project like this for me, it
has given me something to think on every day which helped with my
transition of working full days to no work days.
I am now finding the time to do creative things I may not have
attempted. For example on day 2 my butterfly cat- I learned how to use a
draw tablet from my daughter. It's interesting to note that at the
beginning of the day when I read the suggestion and maybe I am at a loss
of what to do, I now know if I just think on the idea for a bit
something will come to me.
I am also noticing my first attempt is a stepping stone to my final
project. I have been keeping some of my original ideas to compare ie
my favorite piece to date is my tea cup collection. When I first put
the cups out it felt lacking - I left it on the table for a bit and out
of the blue I thought 'sugar!' and that little touch just elevated the
design to me. This has been happening over and over again.
I am enjoying the input from my friends as well, not only are they
appreciative, they have been giving me all sorts of ideas and sending me
butterfly pictures and messages.
It was also rewarding for me to have another friend start the 365
day challenge after me with water as her subject. Now i feel like I am part of an exciting team of creativity
and I am hoping to encourage more people to join the bandwagon.
See all of Veda's butterflies on Instagram and on Facebook.
