Create365

Sharon Wall of North East Scotland, UK is doing a yearlong project inspired by my book called Create365...
 

Why did you decide to do this project? I thought long and hard about themes and maybe next year I will repeat the book using a single idea but for now I really wanted to just be randomly creative. As an adult as I spend so much time encouraging my children to use their imagination and create and I really wanted to document all the different things I tried and saw and experienced in a day. However it was easier to limit this to a single mini project otherwise I might just break the internet with hundreds of post's!

How has it affected your life? I am only a week or so in to the project but I really hope to try new things and develop some technical art skills over the next year. After reading the book I realised that my ideas and creativity could be shared with others I just needed the confidence to get started. I love quirky crafts and art, storytelling and encourging others to use their imagination and play. Friends liking my photos has given me the boost I needed!

Follow Sharon's progress HERE.

Through the Forest in 365 Days

Michelle Kavanagh from Glasgow, Scotland is making a tree a day and going Through the Forest in 365 Days...

Why did you decide to do this project? I have just finished a college course in Model Making and 3D design. I have been unable to find model making work but still have bills to pay and I was worried that, if I ended up in a job that was not creative then all the valuable skills I had developed would be quickly lost. I wanted to do something that would keep my creative juices flowing but that I would also be able to persist with at those times when a dull job would leave me tired and uninspired. The stories of other artists on the 365 website really resonated with me and I thought it seems to have really helped them this could help me too.

How has doing a yearlong/daily project affected your life? It has given me true hope. It has allowed me to have faith and confidence in myself. I have tried many tricks, timetables, planners, books etc. and yet every time I would encounter difficulty, either creatively or just through everyday life, I would hit a brick wall and whatever I would be working on would fall by the wayside.
Doing this project has been so different. At times when I have finished work late and been really tired I have still managed to complete a tree. If it had been any other creative endeavour I would not have found the energy to work on it when I was feeling exhausted. Admittedly some of the trees are better than others but even that is a gift. Somehow doing this project has allowed me to break through the mental wall built by my perfectionist nature. Often I worry about what I will make my tree of on a particular day but then, as soon as I actually sit down to make it the idea comes to me. In fact I have found myself with a particular idea/material in my head or hand and then at the last minute I spot something else that makes me think “let’s try that”. I love it when that happens because it says to me that the possibilities are endless and that I don’t need to be afraid about my abilities.

See all of Michelle's trees HERE.