Be Creative Follow-Up

I'm periodically checking back in with some folks who have completed their 365 projects...

Ines Häufler in Vienna, Austria completed her yearlong Be Creative project on December 31, 2011...

What are the biggest lessons/skills you learned from doing your project? I learned a lot about myself during this project, here are just two of the most important points:

1. I was very worried at the beginning that I would not have enough time for this project between my work and my social life. Turns out: it was no problem at all. If I am really passionate about something I find time to do it. Simple as that, but as a workaholic person this came as a huge surprise for me.
2. I have never been to art school. And I am a perfectionist. That seem to be quite an awful match for a project that is all about drawing, painting and a lot of other creative skills. But it turned out that this project was not about being perfect at drawing or painting. It was simply about the creative process and the fun of trying something new. And guess what? No one complained about a line that was painted the "wrong" way. It was all in my head, and in the end the process was much more important than a perfect outcome.

In what ways did the project change your life? For the first time in almost eight years (this is how long I work as a freelance script consultant now) I had no sign of burnout due to being overworked. In fact I had the feeling that that I worked less, which is not true if I look on the number of film projects I did this year. I think the reason is that I finally had something equally important to me - my life did not only consist of work anymore. I felt a shift in priorities, but without losing passion for my work nor for my creativity projects. 

Now what? I have already started a new project called "Be Creative 52", which is a weekly creativity project. I hope that I can do some projects that were too big for my daily project, and to have time for learning new skills and develop some concepts more thoroughly. Also I hope I can do more collaborations with my creative friends, which often need more than 24hours to prepare. It is still hard for me to change the rhythm from daily to weekly projects, but I am very happy that I did not stop being creative on the 31st of December.

Read her original 365 interview HERE.

See all of her past & current Be Creative projects HERE.

365 Arty Days

Branka Vidovic Butler in the UK is making 365 Arty Days...
 

Why did you decide to do this project? I was always complaining that I don’t do enough, don’t produce enough. I felt I was wasting a lot of time while I should have been working especially since I have the luxury to work on my projects. So I found a blog that run a project like this and decided to hurl myself into it.

How has doing a yearlong/daily project affected your life? I have only been going for 12 days but just the fact that I have to go into studio every day to work is improving my work ethic. I also actively have to keep my eyes open to what others are doing so I don’t run out of ideas which in turn sparks my own imagination. January is not a great start date as there are a lot of colds around and it does give me some grief but I have a goal. While I am in my studio working on the project I tend to then carry on with other work so my hours are used up in a constructive manner. Not everything I make and will make is very grand but I’m trying to keep it playful and see, out of my many interests, which one will dominate. I am excited to see how my work will develop over the year and what results I will have. Watch this space…

 

See all of Branka's days HERE. 

365 Collages and Assemblages

Anita Aspfors Westin in Solna, Sweden (but moving soon to Rättvik) is making 365 Collages and Assemblages. She explains, "I start to work only with black and white. After 7 days I am free to chose the grey-scale. After one month I am free to chose one more colour."...

Why did you decide to do this project?  I want to wake up the artist in me. I´ve been working so hard last six month. As a teacher for kids and having classes for adults. I have been so concentrated to train their creativity so I feel I´ve almost lost my own. I really felt sick after last Christmas and I went to the doctor and he said I was on my way going to be outburned. He said I should stay home from work a couple of weeks and I didn´t even know I was depressed! But I stayed at home as he said and felt awful. Then I found 365 A daily creativity journal in “Designtorget” in Stockholm. And I said to myself: this is it! I know I had to make a change and this will be my change in life!

How has doing a yearlong/daily project affected your life? I guess it has gone too short time since I started to be able to tell if it really has made a change. But I think it has, because I feel much stronger after I´ve made my decision and I also feel very happy and satisfied when I´ve done my task for the day. And I am very decided to fullfill this project because it means a lot to me. Maybe it will be my next exhibition. I hope so.

See all of Anita's collages & assemblages HERE. 

Card-A-Day

Flo Kane in Buffalo, New York is making a Card-A-Day...

Why did I decide to do this project? I wanted to be more conscientious of reaching out to friends and loved ones on special days this year. I also happen to love working with paper, collage, etc. The two seemed made for each other. Oh, and also because my Free Will Astrology horoscope said I would have both the creative stamina and willpower to be prolific this year.

How has the project affected my life? It's been 13 days. But, I've felt progressively more creative and curious about learning new things. I've also been more creative in general. I also feel more connected to the people I'm mailing cards to.

She even made this card for me!

See all of Flo's cards HERE.

52 Weeks of Urban Exploring

Samantha Hartman in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania is doing 52 Weeks of Urban Exploring...

Why did you decide to do this project? I am doing this project because it has always been something I've wanted to try, and after constantly looking at other people's daily or weekly projects, I finally gave in and decided to take on the challenge. Recently getting a new camera was the perfect motivation I
needed; I am attached to the thing. I would like to improve my photography and by spanning it out over the course of a year, this is a great opportunity to do so. Exploring abandoned buildings and desolate spots has always been an odd interest of mine, and being able to bring them to life through my camera is such an awesome feeling.

How has doing a yearlong/daily project affected your life? Although I am only on the third week, I already feel so accomplished looking at the photos I have taken so far. Some of them turned out really well and it has brought a great feeling of self satisfaction, and also gets me excited to scout out a location and work on the next set of photos! I feel so inspired and am excited to show my photos off to others. This is definitely a project I would like to stick with throughout the year.

See all of Samantha's explorations HERE.

Pancakes and Pendants

My friend Maria Carra Rose here in Richmond. VA is spending a year making Pancakes and Pendants. She explains, "This is my inspirational project for 2012. I will be trying to get my groove back by experimenting with cooking and crafting, either making a new recipe or piece of jewelry each day and writing about the experience."...

Why did you decide to do this project? I decided to take on this project because I have been in a creative rut for almost 3 years and it's time that I take my life back and get back into doing the things I love and sharing them with the people I love.

How has doing a yearlong/daily project affected your life? So far, I have become increasingly aware how freaking crazy I am to pile something else onto my life's workload. I do think that it is necessary for me to do this, mostly because, selfishly, it's 100% for me. The food and jewelry that happen to come into existence because of the project, well, that can be the payoff to my friends and love ones who have to deal with the crazy. I guess we will see where it takes me.

See all of Carra's jewelry & meals HERE.

Oy With The Plushies Already

Shelina Fitzpatrick in Springfield, Missouri is doing a yearlong project she calls Oy With The Plushies Already.

She explains, "I was in Barnes Noble in Nov and came across your book. Usually I find a book that I like and go home and buy it on Amazon so I can get it cheaper lol But this one I had to have right away. I bought it and carried it around with me plotting and planning my 2012 new years resolution. It was hard to wait until the 1st after it was full of post its with ideas jotted on them. :) In 2012 this book and I will be attached. I am going to try to follow the book exact but if I need to I will change up a few things so they will work better for me."

Why did you decide to do this project? I am a stay at home mom and have 3 kids. I spend all of my time with them and never sit down and do things for myself. This challenge is definitely for me! When I get a few minutes to myself I can challenge my creativity. I am always excited to see what my new project is for the day. I am 11 days in and I am pretty confident that I can finish all 365 days!

How has doing a yearlong/daily project affected your life? I am only 11 days in but so far it has made me stop and take a breath. Some days everything is just a whirl wind of craziness and I forget to just breath. lol Now I escape for a few minutes everyday.  There are a ton of projects that I have wanted to do or creative things that I would like to learn that have just set on the back burner. Now I look forward to pulling out those projects when the day calls for it. Maybe I will finally find a reason to needle felt :)

See all of Shelina's projects HERE.

Simulacrum Follow-up

I'm periodically checking back in with some folks who have completed their 365 projects...

Angie Niemand finished her year long Simulacrum project on December 31, 2011...

What are the biggest lessons/skills you learned from doing your project? One of the big lessons was learning to focus more on overall composition and not just on the subject of a photo.  I spent more time on framing within the viewfinder and less time just pointing and shooting.  In addition when I would develop and frame a finished photo, I would spend more time working on presentation.  I gave more thought into which mat and frame would complement the photo and highlight its best qualities.  In an age of Photoshop I liked being able to post work that had not been electronically manipulated or edited.

I also took various art classes and workshops throughout the year.  Through this I discovered a new interest in printmaking and especially in the hand carving of wood blocks.  I am really excited about this and cannot wait to invest in my own set of fancy Japanese carving tools.

In what ways did the project change your life? This project changed my life through finding new artistic interests, and developing my other skill sets.  By examining a year’s worth of work, I discovered that investing in a macro lens for my SLR might be a good idea as I seem to really like shooting tiny things.

Now what? For now I have started another blog, Parts of a Bird, to post finished work less regularly than a daily 365.  I am planning to work on a larger series of the light box photos I did earlier in 2011 with the intention of a future show.  In addition I plan on developing skills in woodcuts and printmaking.  I may return to doing a 365 in 2013 when I am done with grad school using 365: A Daily Creativity Journal as an inspirational guide.

Read her original 365 interview HERE.

See all of her simulacra HERE.

OverExposure365

Denis Ricardo in West Covina, California has started a new year of his daily photography & video project OverExposure365...

Why did you decide to do this project? I wanted to do my second attempt at this project, because it is my second, because I wanted to really do it. I failed last year because of some unforeseen circumstances, but now I am back and ready to take on the world!

How has doing a yearlong/daily project affected your life? Doing the 365 project last year really forced me to be creative, to think and ultimately to grow. There were some very, very tough times for me last year, but I had to keep in mind that a photo needed to be done every day... even in my darkest times.

So let's do this, 2012, which coincidentally has 366 days... not sure what to do about that extra day... we'll see!

See all of Denis's photos HERE.

P.S. Experiment!

Amy Whitehurst in Glen Allen, Virginia (who recently finished her Snow Globe 365 project) is now doing a daily Photoshop project called P.S. Experiment!...

Why did you decide to do this project? I have been wanting to learn Photoshop for a few years now, I thought this was the best way to teach myself since I've taken a class in the past and it wasn't very helpful. This way I can choose what I want to learn and hold myself accountable publicly by blogging.

How has doing a yearlong/daily project affected your life? After completing my Snow Globe 365 project in December, I found myself missing the daily discipline of creating something daily.  I learned a lot about photography last year, and I want to keep improving my images, so this feels like the next step. 

See all of Amy's experiments HERE.

SuperZero

Anthony Gifford in Cheltenham, England is drawing the daily comic strip SuperZero (Snippets of my un-heroic life)...

Why did you decide to do this project? It started quite randomly (as most great things do!), my girlfriend at the time was about to start college and wanted to try and do something, so I came up with a brief to do a comic strip, much like James Kochalka (as she's a big fan) of our trip up Leckhampton hill the day before. I did it too and really enjoyed it. I decided that maybe I could do one a week and see how long I could keep it up for. But at the time I had a week off work, so I did one every day and have been doing it every day since!

How has doing a yearlong/daily project affected your life? well my evenings are taken up drawing, scanning and colouring the things! and my days are spent hoping for something short and funny to happen. My friends always look at me when something goes wrong and I quite often get "don't you dare put THAT in your comic!" Sometimes you are sitting, staring at a blank piece of paper going "nothing happened today!! my life is soooo dull!" but you eventually think of something.

See all of Anthony's comics HERE.

365 Dinosaurs

Sarah is making 365 Dinosaurs (and selling some of the work in her Etsy store to raise money to sponsor a child in Africa through World Vision!)...

Why did you decide to do this project? Everything has been changing for me. In less than a year I have graduated high school, gotten married, moved away, started college, quit college, and began planning my own business. Part of me needs some consistency in my life now. I also need a way to challenge and fuel myself. Sometimes my emotions are more than I can handle. I'm hoping this will be a way to work through them and give me the confidence I need to continue doing what I love.

How has doing a yearlong/daily project affected your life? Only a few days in already I find myself searching for discipline to do my project each day and the courage to stand by my artistic decisions. These have both been hard for me in the past.

See all of Sarah's dinosaurs HERE.

365 Day Nail Art Challenge

Boglárka Tornai in Százhalombatta, Hungary is doing a 365 Day Nail Art Challenge...

Why did you decide to do this project?  I decided to make this project, because I have very much nail polishes and I really enjoy doing these designs. :) So, I'm in love with my hobby!

How has doing a yearlong/daily project affected your life? Every day I have time to create a post, I'm lucky. :) My followers think that I'm a creative girl and it makes me happy. :)

See all of Bolárka's nails HERE.

366 Cranes

Ellen Fithian in Flower Mound, Texas is making 366 Cranes and leaving them for people to discover in various locations...

Why did you decide to do this project? My new project for 2012. Via instagram (@efithian #366cranes), I'll post and geotag a new crane everyday. Each will have a message tucked into a wing. I will also post the photos and quotes here as well.
I'm doing this for a couple of reasons:

1. Making cranes makes me happy
2. I need to read more quotes from people much smarter than me
3. Finding a new place to put a crane everyday will be a challenge
4. If someone happens to find one, that would be a great BONUS!

Along the lines of the ornament page from last year, Kiana and I have decided to donate $1 for every LIKE to Shiba Inu Rescue of Texas. Hope you LIKE, share, follow and maybe even find! 

How has doing a yearlong/daily project affected your life? I'm only a week into this project and it's already been a challenge to find new places everyday since I work in one location. But, it forces me to seek out places and gets me out of my usual routine. I pick the quotes which resonate with me but they may equally touch another person if they read it on FB or actually find one of my cranes. I've also realized that at the end of the year, all the photos would make an awesome poster.

See all of Ellen's cranes HERE.