100 day project begins June 1, join me?
“It took a while to get people to exercise 20 minutes a day, and now it’s drilled into our heads that you have to find a way to walk or get on the treadmill. We hope with this book to create a movement of people who understand that what art does to rewire your brain is just as important as those 20 minutes, and that every day is an opportunity for some kind of self-expression. It’s our birthright. It’s part of being human.” -Ivy Ross
In 2021 I participated in a 100 day project where I recorded one song on ukulele daily. I wrote about that experience here.
In 2023 I did one watercolor every day for 100 days.
In 2024, I called one of my three living grandparents every day for 100 days, often they didn’t answer or I’d just say hey, but so many times I would ask a question that opened up a treasure trove of information or stories. My paternal grandfather passed away one month after the project concluded.
Last summer I did not do a project formally. I tried to watercolor on my own every day but I only made it for about 40 days.
These projects have radically changed my life in wildly unexpected ways. I cannot recommend this experience enough. I always feel I am the best version of myself when doing one of these projects.
For me, if I don’t participate in the project with Sarah Seidelmann, I don’t succeed. She is a very inspiring leader, and I think the accountability of being in the group really helps me.
So I will be embarking on her Creative Soul Retrieval 100 day project on June 1.
I wonder if some of you might wish to join me???!
You can read more about what being in the group involves by clicking the link. Sarah leads about 4-5 zoom sessions to provide direction and inspiration throughout the project. Additionally, she creates a facebook group where members of the project post one photo a day of your project. The rule is, no comments on the posts. You simply share a photo and that is it!
**A disclaimer here is that I am not involved with facebook anymore, so I think I will be doing my own private groupme chat for posting evidence of my project with a few others who don’t use facebook? I haven’t quite figured this piece out yet, because it is fun to see the work of others. Another option is that I’ll simply take a photo for myself every day. Haven’t quite squared this circle yet.
You pick one thing and do it for 15 minutes a day. That’s it.
Try to pick something simple.
When designing your project, I’d try to avoid the following:
Try to avoid something like a plank every day, or finishing your novel.
This should not be about work, this should be about play!
Generally, I think this is more about creativity than “self-improvement.” Keeping it light and playful is where the joy comes in.
Ideas on designing your project
Try to pick something small and achievable.
For example, if you are working on paper, choose a uniform size or color scheme, so at the end of 100 days you will have a uniform project.
If you choose writing, use a uniform font.
If you choose something like a mindful walk, maybe you take a photo of the experience so at the end you have something to remind you of your project.
I’ve seen some really cool things. One woman spent 15 minutes a day clearing her property. By the end, she had done SO MUCH WORK! Another woman made a tiny item for a dollhouse each day.
I’m not sure what I’ll pick this year. I’m thinking about 15 minutes of watercolor + a short poem.
Some more inspiration on creativity can be found in this podcast on Armchair Expert with Susan Magsamen and Ivy Ross, the authors of Your Brain on Art: How the Arts Transform Us. is really helpful if you are feeling called toward more creativity in your daily life.
Creating for the sake of creating has biological benefits
Practicing art, whether it’s coloring or creating an original work, lowers our stress levels and releases endorphins
Practicing art helps us get into the flow state, a state of consciousness where our worries and mental chatter disappear
We are going to dive deeply into the science and research in the book at our upcoming retreat!
Maybe you are also longing to practice some practical magic. Maybe you wish you could embroider mini butterflies on the sleeves of your sweatshirts or play a song on guitar. Maybe you wish you could recite poetry or knew a choreographed dance to a song. Maybe you want to write one postcard a day, learn the name of trees in your area, or write down quotes or poems you like.
I’m here to tell you that you can do it. You can find tutorials for just about anything on youtube.
You might be bad at it, do it anyway.
Creating will amplify your life. Creating will delight and surprise you, and help you see the world in a brand new way. I promise, you will find more joy from pursuing creative endeavors than streaming a mindless show.
“One of the biggest aha moments in the research was that you don’t have to be any good at an art form to derive great benefits. I sing. I write really bad poetry. I dance. I collage. We’re not talking about being a virtuoso. It’s simpler and more accessible than that.” -Susan Magsamen
