Daily Shotgun

Esahn Dulin in New Orleans, Louisiana is making a Daily Shotgun, but it's probably not the kind you're thinking of. He says, "Everyday, I draw/paint/create a new shotgun house, which is a particular type of house in the south, particularly in New Orleans, my home."...

Why did you decide to do this project?  I chose to do this Project because I have always found Shotgun Houses to be very interesting structures. The ones in New Orleans vary in design and color scheme yet all seem to have the same narrow build and symmetrical doors and windows in the front. I thought creating different Shotgun Houses gave me a great level of both control and creativity.
Also, I wanted to make something that had to do with New Orleans. Although I am not from this city, it has had a large impact on me and I find it very inspiring.

How has doing a yearlong/daily project affected your life? On an artist level, this project has made me more resourceful and creative. I tend to spend much of the day looking for what could look like a shotgun house or a new, unique way I can make one. I tend to create my most interesting pieces when midnight is very close.

Another affect this project has had on me is actually by improving my memory. I tend to be very forgetful, but I always remember I need to have a new house everyday. Over the past month, I feel a lot of other things in my life are easier to memorize. I feel it's a direct impact from doing this project.

 See all of Esahn's shotguns HERE.

The Happy Homemaker

My friend Madonna Dersch in Petersburg, Virginia is making a house every day for a year in The Happy Homemaker...

Why did you decide to do this project? I am interested in the concept of home and what that means. Home may be a location, an idea, a feeling, or people. Home differs by gender, age, and culture. The houses that I am making give me an icon through which I may explore concepts, ideas, and expectations of home, domesticity, family, hearth, and social expectations. There are many different responses that are triggered by or associated with the living space created to house ourselves and our possessions. It is a complex and layered topic that I wanted to explore. I also chose to do this project right now because I really needed to just create more, since I tend to get stuck in hyperfocus. Actually, a certain friend of mine had told me several times in the past year that I needed to make more stuff. In fact, that's how he signed my book. It has been a great impetus for me.

How has doing a yearlong/daily project affected your life? I have taken on huge projects that have spanned years before, but never a one-thing-finished-every-day project. I tend to take a long time to create work that usually includes a lot of repetitious detail. My work to finished product ratio is heavy on the side of labor. This project encourages me to work quickly without over-analyzing. I have freedom from re-evaluation and doubt and have started creating in a way that is almost a habit. It is really liberating. Another effect is the amount of space that my work is starting to take up, even though most of the pieces are quite small. I am working out how to deal with the accumulation. I am contemplating new cabinet options.

See all of Madonna's real estate on her site HERE.