Flowers and Faces

Jessica Mack (aka BrownPaperBunny) from Seattle, WA is drawing / painting a flower or a face every day, in any medium, on any surface available for her project Flowers and Faces...

Why did you decide to do this project? Drawing and painting flowers and faces is something I enjoy but also something I want to improve, so I’m setting out to draw a flower or face every day.

How has doing a yearlong / daily project affected your life? It has become a habit now, and I start to feel ‘the itch’ if I miss a day because I’m traveling or sick etc. It has also become a little piece of my day that is just for me, which has done wonders for my stress levels. I’d even go so far as to say I’m sleeping better at night because of my daily creative habit.

See all of Jessica's project on Instagram at @100daysofflowersandfaces.

365 Days of Zen Meditation

Matthew Lepold in New York City is doing 365 Days of Zen Meditation...

He explains, "My goal with this project is to meditate a minimum of one 25-minute period every day for a year. The focus and discipline of it is to pay attention to how I am doing; am I serious enough to do it daily? After each session is complete I log it in a spreadsheet and make any necessary notes."

Why did you decide to do this project? I began practicing Buddhism in 2009 and I see this as an opportunity to deepen my practice. I meditate regularly but find it too easy to skip days here and there.

How has doing a yearlong/daily project affected your life? I am trying to understand myself on a deep level and use Zazen meditation as a tool for self-transformation. For me, meditation creates a larger space within which I can more deliberately choose my response to challenging circumstances. It takes longer for me to get angry and I don’t react as much to adversity. I only started to track this project a few days ago, and already it’s been interesting to observe myself try to justify skipping a day.




photo: Noah Scalin