The Daily Make

Reanna Alder in Joshua Tree, California is documenting what she devotes her hands to each day in The Daily Make...

Why did you decide to do this project?  Photographing and sharing my daily projects is a way of acknowledging the making that I do and encouraging myself to do more. I'd been taking a photo a day privately, as a kind of journal, for a year and a half already so I knew I could do it. Then listened to a podcast in which Austin Kleon talked about how he uses social media, and I got a new camera and wanted to learn to take beautiful photos. It was early January, a perfect time to start new things.

How has doing a yearlong/daily project affected your life? It has foregrounded "making" in my day, which has brought me much more focus and productivity, along with a little anxiety. I find myself keeping a list of ideas and planning ahead: What will I make tomorrow? Do I have the supplies for that? What can I squeeze in on a work day?

Knitting has been a really good backup project for busy days, so I'm planning to start a sweater, which I've never done before and probably wouldn't have without the project.

Some of my most popular posts have been about things that felt kinda goofy to me, like the day that I posted about digging holes.

It's also made me realize how repetitive a lot of (my) creative projects are. A quilt takes days and days of doing basically the same thing. That's been interesting to acknowledge (maybe I'm more dedicated than I knew!) and also a photographic challenge, to keep showing the project in fresh ways.

I have a few trips planned for this summer, and keeping the project going while travelling should be very interesting.

Follow Reanna's making HERE.

365 Reasons Not To Die with A Full Craft Cupboard

Sharon Newth in Melbourne, Australia is creating 365 Reasons Not To Die with A Full Craft Cupboard... 

Why did you decide to do this project? I am a stay at home mum of four with a very busy life and I love to be creative. I stumbled across your book about a year ago and have been thinking about it ever since. I find I never get the time, so I thought if I did this project it would help motivate me to make time for the things that make me happy and in turn make those around me happier.

How has doing a yearlong/daily project affected your life? I find I smile a lot more since beginning this project, and I have a lot more energy to put into all areas of my life. I have been approached by people from around the world who have enjoyed my creations and this also gives me a real sense of accomplishment. I also find that since I started creating something every day everything in my life has become a potential source of inspiration and ideas come from the strangest of places. As I create I find I might also start off with one idea which completely changes by the time I get to the finished project. It's a also a way to share a part of myself with others that I wouldn't normally get to share otherwise. Sharing the project via my blog has definitely helped me to keep going with the project.

 

See all of Sharon's projects HERE.

Get Unstuck at the New York Public Library

I will be at the New York Public Library this Saturday to lead their Hand-Made Crafternoon!

Saturday, April 14,  2 – 4 pm

New York Public Library

Stephen A. Schwarzman Building, Margaret Liebman Berger Forum

 

We'll be doing some of the exercises from my new book Unstuck along with a classic craft from my Skull-A-Day project!

The event is FREE and open to the public, though they do recommend making a reservation since space is limited. All the details can be found HERE.

If you're in the area I hope you'll come by and say hi!

40 Days of Crafts

Sarah Stevenson in Preston, Lancashire, UK is doing 40 Days of Crafts...

Why did you decide to do this project? After coming across your 365 skull site I was inspired to use my own creative talents as a fundraiser for my church - which needs a new roof costing around £75000. I decided I would try to make 40 different Easter themed crafts over the 40 days of Lent. The idea was well received. I have people from church, friends, relatives etc sponsoring me to complete the challenge. In order to make as much as possible from the project I also decide that for most days I would make more than one item - maybe 6-10 - which I can then sell at church as well. Plus I like a challenge!

How has doing a yearlong/daily project affected your life? So far what I realise is that I'm giving up all of my free time to devote to crafting and blogging, but then giving up things is part of the spirit of the Lenten period. I'd admit the project is a little self-indulgent, but there's nothing better than thinking about doing nothing but crafting for 40 days AND having to do it, no excuses, nothing else gets in its way! I am learning to use the skills I've been given in a charitable way and that does make me feel good. I'm learning new craft skills each week including the art of blogging as this was something my 13 yr old set up for me. As part of the blog it is fantastic to have access to so many other crafty people and be able to share their  ideas too.

To create the 40 crafts (+ a few spare) I'm using up things from around the house - like Day 1 Wooden Box, including some recycling and upcycling - and going back to use equipment that I last used in art college 20+ years ago. From a personal point of view it will raise my self-confidence and by the end of the 40 days I'll hopefully feel proud of my achievements (even though it's only 40 and not 365). Whenever we do anything like this (I'm also on school PTA) there is always a positive impact on my immediate family who are always incredibly supportive, involved and the children have enjoyed sharing the project with friends.

I took my first bunch of  crafts to church this morning and it great to see people interested and it has already helped me personally to broaden my friendships within the church. For some in the church this is the first time they'd ever visited a 'blog'! Not something they'd normally do. Perhaps my individual 40 days project will broaden into a group effort next time or inspire others to do the same.

See all of Sarah's crafts HERE.

Making Something New Every Week

Pat Naylor in South Buckinghamshire, England (near Windsor) Making Something New Every Week...

Why did you decide to do this project? I love new and different, I love making things but I'm a chronic non-finisher.  I have a 4 generation household and a job so I knew it would be too much of a challenge to make something new every day. I wanted to find a way to encourage myself to not only be creative but to finish each project I start, so I'm posting photographs and instructions on how to make each project and that is keeping my integrity intact.

How has doing a yearlong/daily project affected your life? So far, I've finished everything I've started!  I have found that it is the part of my week that I look forward to the most. Some of my makes have been less than perfect and I've found that is ok too.

See all of Pat's new things HERE.

A Granny A Day

Dana Beach in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma is crocheting A Granny A Day...

Why did you decide to do this project? One of my friends got me the 365 book for Christmas. I was fully inspired and ready to go along with the book at the beginning of the year but at the last minute decided to do my own crafty thing and crochet a granny square a day starting on my birthday, January 21st. I knew if I wasn't fully invested in the idea I wouldn't complete it.

How has doing a yearlong/daily project affected your life? This daily project has been more fun than I thought it would be. At first I thought it would turn into a task after a couple of weeks, but I've been thinking ahead about the finished blankets I will have because of this project and how special they will be. Now that I've completed a little over a month, I realize that this is a part of my life now. A habit – not just a task.

See all of Dana's grannies on her site HERE.

365 Book Event – April 30, NYC

Hey NYC friends, I will be doing a book signing/talk/workshop at Brooklyn's Spacecraft on April 30th!

Saturday, April 30

Book signing: 4-5pm FREE

Talk/Creativity Workshop: 5-6pm  $5 materials fee

Spacecraft

355 Bedford Ave.

Brooklyn, NY

718.599.2718

If you're in the NYC area I hope you'll plan to come by and say hi!

Smale Scale Sewing 365

Teresa in Minneapolis, Minnesota is doing a 365 project making things from "scraps and leftovers", as part of her blog Small Scale Sewing...

Why did you decide to do this project? I don't consider myself to be a particularly crafty or artistic person or driven to make things (even though I work in the arts), but there are definitely some projects I’ve wanted to try and have not made the effort.  I've been feeling a bit "stuck" recently and an endeavor such as this may be just the prescription I need. I hope to try things that are out of my comfort zone.  I’m interested in how I feel about the projects.  I might not think it is worthwhile, for instance—why do I think this?  Does that matter?  I’m interested in when things work and when they don’t work.

How has doing a yearlong/daily project affected your life? It has only been about three weeks but I have already done some projects that I would not normally have done.  I’m learning to let go of the notions that it has to be practical, that it has to be perfect, that it has to be “art”, and that it has to have significance.  Just do something.  It can be big or small, easy or complicated.  The hardest part is posting on my blog.  I lack some knowledge there and have a pokey, old, slow computer that makes it more time-consuming than I’d like.  It is still an important component of the project as it teaches me something new and learning new things keeps life interesting.

See all of Teresa's work on her blog HERE.

Beads for Brains: 365

Mandy Duffy in Elkridge, Maryland is giving herself a year of self-taught beading lessons at Beads For Brains: 365...   

Why did you decide to do this project? I'm a very curious human being, surfing the web a great deal to find interesting tidbits of information.  I came across a blog where the author was doing a 365 project and was enthralled by the idea!  The same day I ordered the book and started my blog.  Not only do I think it is a wonderful concept and tool for developing creativity I think it can be used for just about anything.  Starting or stopping a habit, gaining perspective of the world around you, looking inside yourself, and so on and so on.  I only deliberated a short time on what my project theme would be.  The month before I started my blog, I took my first ever bead weaving class and I loved it.  I couldn't stop playing around with the beads!  The colors and shapes mesmorized me, and still do.  But being unemployed, I couldn't afford to take the classes.  The cost of the class plus the supplies was just to much when all I wanted to do was learn, learn, learn.  So I've decided to teach myself to bead weave.  My project is to teach myself a new beading lesson, technique, or project every day for a year using books, magazines, and the Internet.

How has doing a yearlong/daily project affected your life? I am currently on Day 33 of my beading adventure and I can't believe how much I have learned!  In general, I get very excited about things, but after the initial enthusiasm things peter out and I quit.  I've taught myself crafts before from books, like knitting and crocheting, but I've never gone the extra step to make myself really good at something.  This is the first time with a hobby that I love that I am advancing, quickly, because I am learning something new everyday.  I'm still not producing original works of beaded art, but it's coming, I can feel it.  Everything I've learned so far in my 33 days is building a base of knowledge for the big stuff.  I always want to go right to the hardest thing and get frustrated when I fail.  With this project I am starting small where I should start.  And since my little successes are piling up, I know there will be bigger successes down the road.  I have a feeling I will be doing a 365 project on some theme or another every year for the rest of my life!

See all of Mandy's beaded projects HERE.

Felis Creatibus

Brenda Schack in Connecticut is attempting to "live a more creative life in 365 days" she calls it Felis Creatibus...          

Why did you decide to do this project? Last year my amazing daughter bought me a great book Skulls. Noah Scalin decided to create a skull a day for a year to challenge his creativity. Amazing book. I was in B&N in January fighting off boredom when I started flipping through the pages of a book I randomly picked up: 365 A Daily Creativity Journal. It was my daughter who realized that the skull-a-day guy wrote the journal. Now I have to buy the book – the universe said so.

I love to create things, anything, but really enjoy working with wire, glass, silly objects, enamels, metal, fabric, and tools. I am a tool junky. I drool in Home Depot. I like making jewelry, but have neglected that part of me for over a year now. I needed to feed the artist something other than chocolate and buttered crackers, so this project seemed like the perfect buddy to keep me going.

How has doing a yearlong/daily project affected your life? I have been doing this since the beginning of January 2011. It has been great!!! I don't just think about crazy fun stuff to make I am doing it! I don't always follow the prompts in the book, but it's a comfort to know it's there when I have no ideas or energy to dream up a crafty project.

I am now plugged into the blogosphere and exceeding my goal of blogging 3 times a week. It can be tough to write as soon as my project is finished, but I am doing it. Because of my 365 blog I also got a commission for a one-of-kind quilted pillow: The Vibrant Dead Dog. My creative spirit is much happier and I am more fearless with my projects because of 365. In fact I am playing with all kinds of mediums and techniques. Felis Creatibus 365 is the creativity enema I have been needing! Thank you Dr. Scalin for the prescription.

See all of Brenda's creations on her site HERE.

Make-a-Book-a-Day

Donna Meyer in Chloride, Arizona is making a book a day for a year. She says, "Some books will be 'rea' books, with covers and pages, but part of the challenge is to stretch the question 'what is a book?' Most will be a thing you can touch, hold in your hand. But some will be ephemeral, written in smoke or water, or maybe drawn in the sand."...

Why did you decide to do this project? I decided to embark on this challenge after happening across your book on Amazon. I'd been feeling in need of an artistic challenge and a boost to my creativity – which has been pretty dry lately. Since I've made books before, know something of the craft and love everything about books, they seemed the most logical theme for a year of creativity.

How has doing a yearlong/daily project affected your life? Only one week in, but already it is affecting my life in many ways. I wake up thinking about what book to make next. I work out technical problems while I'm falling asleep. Anything my eye happens to land on brings up the question. "What can I do with that?" "How can I use that in a book?" It's already a truly joyous part of my life-even when I hear myself groaning "Damn, I still have to make a book today and I don't have a single idea."

See all of Donna's books HERE.

365 Spiders

Amy Kopperude in Red Lion, Pennsylvania is making 365 Spiders. She says, "After finding a beaded spider tutorial on-line last summer, I haven’t been able to stop making beaded spiders. A year of spiders will force me to explore the creation of my 8-legged friends beyond just beads. I love experimenting with the shape and composition of a spider through diverse media, which is what this year is all about."...

Why did you decide to do this project? My friend Susan approached several of her friends, asking if we would be interested in participating in a 365 Days of Creativity project. I’m always making something, and if I’m not making something, I’m thinking about making something. So I was all over this idea right away. I figured I could finish some projects I’d started or explore some ideas I’d had. I have a room full of materials and books, magazines, and binders full of ideas. Certainly I could come up with 365 things to make with all of it.

How has doing a year-long/daily project affected your life? Whew! My first 24 days were exhausting. I didn’t start off with spiders. I was making a whole gamut of things and had a running list of what I was going to do next, a list that was becoming more disorganized and increasingly detailed and difficult because of my inability to simplify. I spent so much time on my creations that little else was being accomplished. Day 25 was going to be a spider day. I knew that ahead of time. But as the day approached, I started wishing that EVERY day were a spider day. I switched gears and started a list of spiders, a much easier endeavor with more promising results. And I heaved a big sigh of relief. I had found a way to simplify, which really is what makes the whole idea of this project successful even as it challenges me.

Making the spiders is very relaxing, believe it or not. Before the 365 Days of Creativity project, I had probably made in the neighborhood of 30 or more spiders to give to friends or sell on Etsy. Part of the creation process is predictable, but when certain elements just make sense together and come together just right, I love being rewarded by that ultimate sense of satisfaction: Today I finished something, and I finished it well. Because I’ve decided on a spider a day, I'm committed to a project that fits my schedule and lifestyle, and I know I can still think outside of the box to continually come up with different results. In addition, I've already had a lot of fun brainstorming with friends about future spiders. I can’t wait for Day 365. I picture my spiders canvassing a big empty wall. 365 spiders. Wow.

See all of Amy's spiders HERE.

Weave A Day

Claire in London, UK is making a weaving a day for a year in Weavaday...

Why did you decide to do this project? I decided to do this as I was very inspired to see what others are doing, and it works well alongside the arts/crafts that I do. It is good to make something small from available materials.

How has doing a yearlong/daily project affected your life? I have only been doing this for a few weeks but am really enjoying being resourceful with different materials. I am keeping the weavings small so that they are quick to complete and do not take up too much space. It is great to see that people are viewing the weavings on my blog.

See all of Claire's weaving HERE. 

Crafting The Day – Everyday

Tatiana Kontouli, a graphic designer & artist who specializes in "everything paper made", based in Antiparos, Cyclades, Greece is Crafting The Day – Everyday...

Why did you decide to do this project? I intend (and already fulfilling) to make something (mostly) paper related every day, in order to challenge my creativity and to reach a whole new level. Also, along with graphic design, handmade stuff is my main income and by this way, I need to be motivated to create things and update my online shop everyday!
 

How has doing a yearlong/daily project affected your life?The project has affected me in a really creative way, although some days are difficult, but the result at the end of the day makes me so happy, so I am glad I started it!

See all of Tatiana's creations on her site HERE.

Veronica's Make Something 365

Veronica Stewart in Annapolis, Maryland  has set off on her own Make Something 365 project....

Why did you decide to do this project? I learned of this project through Etsy. I was inspired by Crazy Rebecca's post about using up some of her stash. I bet that my stash is every bit as huge as hers! Also, I used to love making ATCs [Artist Trading Cards] but slowly got out of the habit...so now I can destash AND make more ATCs.

How has doing a yearlong/daily project affected your life? I recently injured my knee and have to sit or lie much of the time. Doing this project has re-connected me to the joy of making these small, focused pieces. I'm sure that there's healing happening on multiple levels here!

See all of Veronica's creations HERE.

365 Days of Craft

Bronwyn Bowerman in Melbourne, Australia is doing 365 Days of Craft...

Why did you decide to do this project?  due the desire to be more creative. I work full-time as a clothing designer (and have done for 5 years) for very commercial fashion labels such as "Mossimo", "No Fear" and various licensed clothing labels. Although the work is good, it is not very creative. I guess most people would think that working as a "fashion designer" sounds like an extremely creative and glamorous job! the reality is designing for commercial companies is very creatively restrictive. Companies want to copy what is happening "overseas" or what is selling in a higher end sector of the market, interpreting that into their own label.

My other incentive is that hopefully this will lead me towards a form of work where I can be more creative (and paid well enough to pay the mortgage!) perhaps i will go on to teach craft classes? write a book? be paid to do a blog?? have an column in a newspaper or magazine??? hmmm maybe all of the above would be nice HA HA HA (just "putting it out to the universe" as my aunty jude would say!)

How has doing a yearlong/daily project affected your life? so far it has caused abit of chaos after work... my house is certainly messier... but I am starting to get more organised and think ahead. I also find throughout the day I am constantly thinking more creatively, looking at every object in the home or workplace considering how I could reinvent it, recycle it or recreate it. I have made it to the 2 week mark and I am excited to see what the next 50 weeks bring.

See all of Bronwyn's crafts HERE.

A Year of Crafting

Helen Logan in South West Wales is doing A Year of Crafting...

Why did you decide to do this project? after seeing so many other daily/weekly projects I felt inspired! I'm a crafter by heart but I often loose my get-up-and-go so i thought that it would be good to do a craft a day, even if it's only something silly like making a face in spilled sugar.

How has doing a yearlong/daily project affected your life? I'm only 2 projects in so far but I'm loving it. I have created things I normally wouldn't on days where I would usually keep my craft supplies in their boxes. I'm already feeling more motivated and inspired than I have in a long time!

See all of Helen's creations 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.