Spoon-a-Day follow-up

Sonya Penn spent 2015 making a Spoon-a-Day for the entire year... 

What are the biggest lessons/skills you learned from doing your project? The biggest lesson that I learned is the immense power the daily routine has in our lives. One small thing each day adds up to something quite huge over a year's time. Generally, it took me a little over an hour each day to form, photograph and post my daily spoon. That isn't a ton of time, but the resulting body of work that I see is quite substantial. I believe that even just 15 minutes a day of practicing something that you want to improve upon will give you amazing results over the course of a year.

In what ways did the project change your life? The project made me have a greater focus on just getting in there and making. There is a sign for artists that I have seen from time to time that says "Go to your studio and make stuff." You can't just wait for inspiration. You have to create, do and make to find your inspiration.

Now what? Ha! NOW, I am working on glazing all of these 365 clay spoons! I did glaze a lot of them during the course of the year, but there are still a lot of them to go. I am working to have them ready for a local show in April where people can come see them all as a group and purchase their favorites!

Read Sonya's original 365 interview HERE.

See all of Sonya's spoons HERE.  

365 Spoons

Sonya Penn in Louisville, Kentucky is making 365 Spoons in 2015. She explains, "I recently started experimenting with making different spoons with clay. They are intriguing in that they are very personal items that have the ability to bring art into every day life. Spoons are probably the first utensil used by babies and will be used throughout their entire lives. My idea is this: Create one spoon a day for the entire year of 2015. 365 spoons is A LOT of spoons!"

Why did I decide to do this project? I wanted to come up with a daily practice in creativity that had the capacity to hold my interest for the entire year. I also was launching a new website and I wanted some daily content that I could feel good and confident about. I had been making clay spoons here and there and found them to be interesting and versatile. The possibilities are endless! I find myself actually having to hold back and not make a bunch of spoons all in one day. At night I go to sleep thinking about what the next day's spoon will be.

How has doing a yearlong/daily project affected your life? I have only just started the project and I am nine days in. I know there will be days that I really won't want to make a spoon. I have already had to force myself to make one at least one time. I let it get late and was tired, but I overcame the human tendency to procrastinate. I expect to find discipline and I expect to be able to explore many possibilities with styles and creativity.

See all of Sonya's spoons HERE.