365 Hands Follow-Up

Kim Knapp completed her yearlong 365 Hands project on Saturday May 4, 2013...

What are the biggest lessons/skills you learned from doing your project? I’ve learned much over the past 365 days… here’s a list of the highlights

•  Success …. Reached my goal. I can do anything I put my mind to. 
•  Support … I could not have done this without the support of my wonderful husband who had to live with my daily “hand” chatter, antics and photos. 
•  I found the artist in me… I’m an Artist… commissioned the first 50 hands for Art-O-Mat 
• Time … NO EXCUSES… I found the time daily to be creative and blog. I learned that there are enough hours in a day. 
• JOY … I found joy each day … from creating, making a mess, the smell of paint, glue, crayons and markers, working under pressure, feedback from family, friends and strangers, to the simplest hand finds which brought a smile to my face, as I went out and about my daily activities
•  Sharp … my mind is clearer, I make business decisions quicker and easier and I am not so hung up in details and the “what ifs”. I’m more creative with my business and daily tasks at work. 
•  I love hand prints in concrete… if I drove a cement truck and laid concrete for a living, I would leave a hand print in my work at every job. I’m sure they have rules about that. I wouldn’t make it long on the job! 
•  I learned to Blog… this was my first…. Blogging is fun! There will be more blogs in my future 
• I appreciate my right and left hand… they are of value and I don’t take them for granted.

Now what? Four ongoing projects as a result of this blog:

• Lend A Hand Project (helping others) 
• The Inkspot Family (children’s book) 
• Art-O-Mat (hand sculpture for sale) 
• Hand Art in Concrete (calendar and wall art) 

Read Kim's original 365 interview HERE.

See all of her hands HERE.

 

365 Hand Project

Kim Knapp in Houston Texas is doing a 365 Hand Project...

Why did I decide to do this project? A friend shared your book and website with me. I explored the website, read the book and enjoyed doing several of the exercises. For 5 months I mulled it over.....could I carve out time in my day for 365 days to commit to being creative? I am an Entrepreneur, busy running a home based business. I find my self in a rut and doing the same thing, day in and day out. I'm a runner and keep a rigid schedule for training and working out. I don't have the time for one more thing. I find too, I'm getting way to serious! At 53 I realized I needed to get back to basics and this project was just what I needed to tap into my creativity, let my hair down and have fun! On May 5th I woke up and decided to begin my project. So far I have proven to my self that you make time for things that are important to you. I made this project a priority. So far I have had no problem finding the time to do it :)  I think making the commitment was the hardest decision. I will honor my word to myself and see this through 365 days. 

How has doing this yearlong/daily project affected my life? It has added an element of fun and adventure to each day. It's taken me on "field trips"... out from behind my desk. I am only a month into the project and already have had a few wild adventures! I created Mr and Mrs Inkspot. Pinkie and Pointer. I took the photo, enlarged it, mounted to display board and take them with me on trips. Most recently attracted attention at a red light in the hill country of Texas for a photo with the Inkspot family. (Hand #25) It was fun to see the smiles on peoples faces.

I seek my husbands assistance from time to time. He is a good sport and enjoys helping me. I dressed up his hand (Hand #14) and we played for about an hour. We laughed and laughed. We made a memory for sure and the photos were wonderful! I smile every time I look at them. I look forward to other "hand" projects with my husbands involvement. It has added another positive dimension to our relationship. 

I look forward to each day with anticipation because of this project. What is the world presenting to me to explore?  I think faster on my feet and make more decisive business decisions. This project is keeping me on my toes and I'm more effective and intentional not only in my business life but my personal life too. 

See all of Kim's hand 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.