365 Monsters

Jen in Fairfield, Iowa is making 365 Monsters...

Why did you decide to do this project? When I found the 365 book in the middle of January, my job had become more stressful than I ever dreamed it would be. It occurred to me that I would need something reliable and consistent to distract myself in the evenings so I wouldn't obsess over work in the evenings, so I decided to start this project. The idea of making monsters really appealed to me because they can range from truly scary to deceptively adorable, and so I could use that to get my frustrations out for the day should the need arise.

How has doing a yearlong/daily project affected your life? I like to knit and crochet, but often stop myself from making things because I don't have a need for the finished product, and I used to draw all the time, but the habit of doodling was lost when I grew up and became a "practical adult." Doing a little something every day has definitely helped me feel more creative and balanced (and thankfully distracted from my day job). In a world of instant gratification, it's really nice to end the day with something that I made all by myself, that didn't take a whole lot of time, yet still has heart in it. I've even surprised myself: in the description for my very first monster, I stated that I hadn't had much success with polymer clay in the past, but I haven't had problems with any of the clay pieces since I started this project! Not to mention the revival of my poor neglected blog. Overall, this project just makes me feel good.

See all of Jen's monsters HERE.

Jag's 365 Illustrations

Jag Nagra in Vancouver, Canada is doing a 365 day illustration project...

Why did you decide to do this project?   I started this project as a creative outlet.  I work as an in-house Design for a corporate company, and needed a way to make sure I did something each day that was separate from my 9-5 job.  Something that would keep me connected and challenged outside of my daily work, and something purely for myself.  I wanted to improve my illustration skills, and thought if I began a 365 illustration project, I'd have no choice but to challenge myself on a daily basis.  And so it began on January 29, 2012

How has doing a yearlong/daily project affected your life? Although I'm still only in the beginning stages of this project, it's teaching me to set a time limit for each illustration.  That doesn't mean I only give myself 15 minutes to create a portrait—but it means that I can't spend hours obsessing over it.

See all of Jag's illustrations HERE.

Love Songs for a Year

Maya Anjelica Murillo in Phoenix, AZ is doing a weekly project creating Love Songs for a Year...   



Why did you decide to do this project? I turned 18 years old last spring and fell in love for the first time. I gave up my friends, my music, everything to be with him. I paid the price because after three months, he broke my heart. I was devastated. There was a couple months of "love sucks" mourning, but then I changed my attitude. I've always been a musician and creative type and I forced myself to pick up and move on in the most positive and hopeful way possible - by doing what I love most: Singing love songs. In order to bring fresh energy into my life and send it out to the universe to counteract the negativity I decided to sing a new love song every week for a year. I play my ukulele, guitar or piano, or just sing along with karaoke. It's been so fun choosing each song.



How has doing a yearlong/daily project affected your life? It's forced me to hear songs in a new way and really soak up the lyrics and meanings. It's also inspired me to write original songs and I plan to release my own EP very soon. I also got invited to be featured on a TV show for my singing, so it already has positive results!  I feel like I learn something new about myself everytime I post a new installment. I've met new people and am excited to continue on this journey!


See and Hear all of Maya's love songs HERE.

Help Unstuck get to Internet Week New York

My company is pitching 3 panel proposals for Internet Week New York including one specifically on my new book Unstuck! Please help me get them selected by voting online...

Publish or Perish... dot com

A panel on creating books from blogs.

The Art of Innovation

A panel on the power of the artist to change the world!

Unstuck: Get and Keep Your Creativity Flowing

Tips on finding inspiration anytime/anywhere.

Courtney's Word A Day

7th grader Courtney M. in Jackson, Michigan is making up a Word A Day for a year...

trah n. - confusion or chaos; mayhem (Inspired by: my friend, Katie H.)

Why did you decide to do this project? I thought it would be something fun to do besides school and soccer. Plus I think it would be cool if people started using the words I made up.

 nezz n. - a plot or scam usually with the purpose of cheating v. - to cheat or lie (Inspired by: my friend, Natalie "Nezzley" S.)

How has doing a yearlong/daily project affected your life? It has showed me the different personalities of the people who help me. And I thought I had a wacky imagination! ;D

fleetle n. - a small group of flying insects (Inspired by: my lil' sis, Elisa) 

Thanks for sharing your project Courtney!

Jeannie's 365 Dresses

Jeannie Crockett in Baltimore, Maryland is making 365 Dresses...

Why did you decide to do this project?  As a result of reading 365:A Daily Creative Journal by Noah Scalin, I stepped up to the challenge. The blog will track my progress and document my work. Rules? There are none. I can spend 10 minutes folding an origami dress, or 20 hours (over several days) creating a dress that a woman (or a girl) can actually wear. I might post an image of a dress – I've been collecting "dressy" things for years. Sometimes I'll use the challenges in the above book – sometimes I'll use other prompts – sometimes the dress will be fugitive, lasting only in the post photo – sometimes I'll actually wear it.

How has doing a yearlong/daily project affected your life? I’ve enjoyed the commitment to making something every day. I’m always looking for ideas and opportunities  – such as the piecrust dress on 2/25 – and finding that I’m more creative in general. It is as if this little project primes the pump, and gets me working on other larger creative endeavors. Making the little fabric dresses is so much fun, but it also takes more time. So I’m giving myself the benefit of allowing other “dresses” to fit the requirement, if I’m in a real crunch time-wise.

See all of Jeannie's dresses HERE.

40 Days of Crafts

Sarah Stevenson in Preston, Lancashire, UK is doing 40 Days of Crafts...

Why did you decide to do this project? After coming across your 365 skull site I was inspired to use my own creative talents as a fundraiser for my church - which needs a new roof costing around £75000. I decided I would try to make 40 different Easter themed crafts over the 40 days of Lent. The idea was well received. I have people from church, friends, relatives etc sponsoring me to complete the challenge. In order to make as much as possible from the project I also decide that for most days I would make more than one item - maybe 6-10 - which I can then sell at church as well. Plus I like a challenge!

How has doing a yearlong/daily project affected your life? So far what I realise is that I'm giving up all of my free time to devote to crafting and blogging, but then giving up things is part of the spirit of the Lenten period. I'd admit the project is a little self-indulgent, but there's nothing better than thinking about doing nothing but crafting for 40 days AND having to do it, no excuses, nothing else gets in its way! I am learning to use the skills I've been given in a charitable way and that does make me feel good. I'm learning new craft skills each week including the art of blogging as this was something my 13 yr old set up for me. As part of the blog it is fantastic to have access to so many other crafty people and be able to share their  ideas too.

To create the 40 crafts (+ a few spare) I'm using up things from around the house - like Day 1 Wooden Box, including some recycling and upcycling - and going back to use equipment that I last used in art college 20+ years ago. From a personal point of view it will raise my self-confidence and by the end of the 40 days I'll hopefully feel proud of my achievements (even though it's only 40 and not 365). Whenever we do anything like this (I'm also on school PTA) there is always a positive impact on my immediate family who are always incredibly supportive, involved and the children have enjoyed sharing the project with friends.

I took my first bunch of  crafts to church this morning and it great to see people interested and it has already helped me personally to broaden my friendships within the church. For some in the church this is the first time they'd ever visited a 'blog'! Not something they'd normally do. Perhaps my individual 40 days project will broaden into a group effort next time or inspire others to do the same.

See all of Sarah's crafts HERE.

Napstaches in Austin

I recently gave a talk about my new book Unstuck at the SXSW Interactive conference in Austin, Texas. And I ended it with a challenge: make a napkin moustache (inspired by Phil Ford's Napkin Moustache A Day project) with a new friend while you're at SXSW. Several people took the challange and here are some of the results...

 

Yes, that's me on the right with an invisible napkin mustache!

Why not give it a try! It's an easy way to get out of your comfort zone and have an unusual experience that could spark some new ideas and connections. If you do try it out please share the results with me and I'll post them on the site.

Also if you're interested to know what I said, you can now hear the audio from my entire talk HERE.

Recycle Girl Follow-Up

Ren Gersten completed her 365 day Recycle Girl project on February 2, 2012...

  
What are the biggest lessons/skills you learned from doing your project? My favorite thing I learned was how not to stifle my creativity.  Before starting the project, I would make a lot of art, but only when I came up with an idea first.  In making something every day, I learned to gather the supplies I was drawn to that particular day and just start making something.  Spending too much time questioning if it were a worthy idea or not would take away from the minimal time for creating in my busy life.  I started surprising myself with the things I could make and the spontaneous ideas that would arrise.  It was like my creativity changed from being in a box which I would open on occasion and pull a few things from, to being the environment I was surrounded in.  Another thing I learned was how to communicate to other people about myself and something I'm involved in.  People I hadn't met yet would come into Seconds Eco Store, the store where I work and ask me about my 365 project, or they would see me working on something at work and ask what I was making, and it would start a conversation about my 365 project.  All this was a lot of fun, but it also taught me to speak up and tell other people about myself and my creative endeavors.  Another thing it taught me was to try new things, lots and lots of new things.  It cultivated a thrill and a joy in trying new things. 

In what ways did the project change your life? My art has gotten noticed for the first time in my life.  I have been in one art show, taught recycled art to high school students (because the teacher sought me out after reading my blog ), am working on another art show, and sell several of the recycled crafts (that I discovered how to make during the year) at Seconds Eco Store. I'm making money creating things for the first time in my life.  All this has been very exciting for me.  I feel more validated as a person, because I feel that the things I create have entered the real world around me, rather than just having a few art pieces in my house that I created while dabbling in art throughout my life.   I feel like this happened because in doing a year's worth of art, I was validating that I am a creative person and that the things I make are worthwhile. So, I would say it was a big boost to my self esteem. 

Now what? I have still been making a lot of art, though not everyday.  I am working on a puzzle piece that is part of a collaborative art piece made up of 8 pieces done by different artists.  I will be doing a magazine collage on it.  I am working on a pop tab dress that I will enter in a recycled fashion show that is held every year here in Taos. I am also going to have a bigger piece of my recylced art on display for one month at Seconds Eco Store.  It is the carpet tube table that I started during the year that I still have some work to do on.  So, I feel that a lot of doors have been opened for me and that I have some major projects to complete in the coming year that are really exciting for me.  Also, I still have a whole lot of supplies that I collected during the year that I would like to use up.  I still have 100's of plastic lids, about 200 chip bags, an old food vendors tent, and a big pile of bicycle tire tubes.  I have some very exciting ideas for these items.  I want to make a kite out of the tent, for example.  A complex kite that is made out of multiple triangles and looks kind of like a snowflake.  I have never made a kite or sewn that kind of material so it might just bomb, but I am excited to try something new.  I feel like I have another big creative year ahead of me full of exploration!

Read Ren's original 365 interview HERE.

See all of Ren's recycling projects HERE.

The Toothbrush Chronicles

Heather Rigney "outside" Providence, Rhode Island is creating The Toothbrush Chronicles. Which she explains is "a mini-novella told in fifty-two entries. My main characters are (She) & (He) and they are both toothbrushes looking for love. Their story is told through photographs and captions once a week for a year."...

Why did you decide to do this project? The idea to do something about the secret life of toothbrushes has been in my head for about ten years. However, I just wasn’t sure what I was going to do about it. Then, just before the start of 2012, a friend gave me the book, 365: A Daily Creativity Journal. The timing was perfect. I knew I had to make a blog chronicling the life of two toothbrushes.

How has doing a yearlong/daily project affected your life? Well, beyond friends and family thinking that I am completely insane for playing with toothbrushes, I have learned to be more focused and dedicated to something I believe in. I have a history of starting things and then never finishing them because I felt judged by others. Often I felt my endeavors were viewed as ridiculous or frivolous, so I would just give up. I’m done with that. The toothbrush blog is a way to prove to myself that I can go the distance on behalf of my own creativity and for that I am thankful.

Follow Heather's Toothbrush Chronicles HERE.

Herbert Hoover's Ring-A-Day

Herbert Hoover in New York City challenged himself to make a Ring-A-Day.

He explains"I love carving wax and casting in brass, bronze, and silver, but the process takes more than one day because of the caster. This requires planning, creativity, and some stealthier solutions such as Ring-And-A-Half-A-Day. Sometimes I'm working on an epic ring while also making the daily ring. The urgency of a daily project has opened up a creative avenue that I couldn't have accessed by simply thinking through an idea, and then taking the remaining time available in a day to work on it a little bit. Some of the results are rings I never would have made if I had unlimited time. Looking back, I call those rings the Someday-Maybe-Never-Rings."

Why did you decide to do this project?  I had never made a ring before and wanted to learn. My friend Ranjit Instrument-A-Day project and encouraged me to make my own daily project. I've read a bunch of How-To books on rings, so there was all this free-floating knowledge in my head that was unapplied before I started Ring-A-Day. It just made sense that this could be a great project for me.

How has doing a yearlong/daily project affected your life? There's an urgency that's inspiring. You have to answer the question every day when you take on a project like this. Looking back over the daily record gives me a sense of my abilities and accomplishments, and an idea of how to improve as well as giving direction to the journey. Deadlines can be inspiring.

See all of Herbert's rings HERE.

Billie's Art Journal Daily 365

Willa  “Billie”  Carter in Avondale, Arizona is creating Art Journal Daily 365...

Why did you decide to do this project? I have a BFA in Painting but working at my day job in healthcare left me little creative energy and I hadn’t been painting or drawing for several months so in an effort to get back to my commitment to artistic creativity, I had assigned a daily task in my iPhone to do one art thing daily since September last year (ignoring it every day when it’s reminder chimed at 4pm).   Even though I had seen the movie, Julie and Julia, I was clueless that this 365 stuff not only existed, but it had gone viral.  So when I found “A Daily Creativity Journal 365” on the shelf at Michaels Crafts here in Phoenix on January 2nd during their 70% off sale I was pleasantly surprised and more than willing to take it on.  I decided to do one mixed–media art page daily because I always wanted to learn some of the techniques I have been following in magazines and TV craft programs over the years.  I normally work in oil and acrylic on canvas but I had collected many art supplies for some future date when I had time to learn the mixed-media techniques seen in the programs, books, and articles. The art supplies were spilling out of my office/studio creating storage issues so it was either create or get rid of some of them, so it was serendipidous to stumble upon the book when I did. With the prompts from the book I have completed 6 weeks now of art pages with some minor trepidation,  for the most part I am really pleased with my level of commitment thus far.  I Love the format of using prompts because it reminds me of my Art School days and really challenges my creativity.

How has doing a yearlong/daily project affected your life? Having to create a mixed-media art page each day keeps me focused on creativity all day now, I look at the next day’s project as soon as I complete and post the project for the current day.  This gives me time to let my mind wander through the challenge,  mull over the possibilities, and think about what art supplies I have to pull from before I actually get into creating the project in the evenings.  I am excited about learning and trying new art techniques again and am not spending my entire evenings channel and internet surfing anymore.  I‘m getting encouraging and complimentary comments from friends and family on Facebook who are following my daily updates.  I have learned and experienced so many new ways of exercising my creativity, (I made encaustic media from a youtube video and finished my first encaustic piece yesterday),  and am uncovering a lot about my creative process as well.  I realize now when I was blocked before I was prone to giving up and have more than a few unfinished paintings over the years to prove it, but knowing that there will be another prompt tomorrow encourages me to stay on task so they won’t pile up.  I have also learned to just let go and let the art happen.  In painting I was so process oriented from the sketch to the finished piece and with mixed-media I don’t have to be so much.  I can start with an idea or just throw something, anything on the page to see what happens, and that I’ve discovered; is when the magic happens.

See all of Bille's journal entries HERE.

It's Full of Stars

Brian Givens in Newark, Delaware is creating the yearlong project It’s Full of Stars...

Why did you decide to do this project? I ran across a review of your book 365: A Daily Creativity Journal some time back and decided to get it for my wife for Christmas. I ended up reading it myself and decided to try it out. I strongly identify with the “Maker” movement but recently I feel I haven’t been doing much making. Also, I am a mechanical engineer by trade and have always been more comfortable with things like electronics and woodworking. I would like to stretch into more “artistic” and “crafty” areas. I hope that this project will help in both areas. Also, the book was a big hit with my wife as well and she has decided to start her own project.

How has doing a yearlong/daily project affected your life?  I am over a month into the project and I am already starting to see some of the benefits I had hoped for. It’s really nice to be producing something everyday; that’s really been making me happy.. Also, the daily nature of the project is forcing me to make quick decisions and go with my gut, not agonize over getting just the right idea and product. I feel like that will be helpful to me long after this project is finished. I’ve gotten to do some things that I’ve been interested in messing around with for a while. Two in particular that stand out in my mind are Day 25 - Light Painting  and Day 33 - Bokeh It was nice to have an excuse to mess around with those techniques and get a feel for them.

See all of Brian's stars HERE. 

Pop Tab 365 Project

Monique van Nieuwamerongen in Ede, Netherlands is creating the Pop Tab 365 Project...

Why did you decide to do this project? I encountered Noah's site and got fascinated. I wondered I was able to achieve such a project. I decided that the only way to find out, was to try it. Because i have an Etsy shop in which i am selling pop tab items, i decided to start working with pop tabs. I only have a few items in my shop and hope to get inspiration to add more.

How has doing a yearlong/daily project affected your life?
What i hope to get out of this:

• inspiration for new pop tab items
• improving my craft skills and learning new techniques
• improving my English 
• blogging on a regular basis
• improving my photographing skills
• preserver to  keep doing this for a long period continuously

I now doing this project for 35 days and already see a bit of development. This project is helping me to be less perfectionistic. I spend a maximum of 1 hour a day on making a item. Because of the time limit, not everything will be as perfect as I would like it to be. The pressure of posting things that are not perfect is helping me to see that even things with little flaws can be beautiful and being creative is fun and relaxing.

I am also trying out new techniques. I never did wire wrapping before. The first time I tried it for this project, it looked messy. I still posted it. Now I have tried it a few more times and the result keeps getting better. Also bought myself a sewing machine a year ago, but it was stored and never used. Because of the project I got it out and tried sewing for the first time.

Also i am seeing that my photographing skills are getting better. Daily photographing things helps to develop my skills at a faster pace then normal. I learned to adjust the white balance and how to set the timer. Also I realized I need to invest in a small tripod for my camera to get clearer pictures

I wonder were this project will take me.

See all of Monique's tabs HERE.