How to Start a 100 Day Project
Today, I wanted to talk about how to do a 100-Day Project! I recently embarked on a 100-Day project of my own, but before we dive into the details of that, what is The 100-Day Project? If you haven’t heard of it, The 100-Day Project is an official creativity project where the goal is to commit to doing a certain project for 100 days.
This project is particularly popular with artists and creatives who want to practice their craft and have some accountability to create every day. It officially starts once a year, but you can start a 100-day project of your own at any time.
The project is meant to give you some structure, but you can set the rules. In this post, I’ll share how and why I decided to do a 100-day project, plus give you some ideas for how you can start a project of your own! Let’s dive in!
My 100-Day Project
I started my 100-day project with the goal of creating artwork for my surface design portfolio. Surface Design is when an illustration is created by an artist to be used on a product or “surface”.
I license my artwork on products like planners, tumblers, blankets, stationery, pillows, and so much more. Surface design is a huge part of my brand, so I wanted to give that part of my portfolio some extra love!
While many of my fine art paintings end up getting turned into products, designing for products is a bit different than intuitively creating an abstract piece. It requires me to think about the end product, be mindful of trending motifs, and create art that has mass appeal.
I wanted to push my creative boundaries as I created new artwork for my portfolio, and I thought a 100-day project would be the perfect container to keep me accountable and help me think outside the box!
My Rules:
My ultimate goal with the challenge was to build up my surface design portfolio. Your project doesn’t have to have a goal as clear as that, but having a clear goal is helpful when determining your set of rules for the project!
Here are the rules I set in place for myself:
No pressure. Y’all. My life has been busy lately. So I knew there would inevitably be days when I wouldn’t be able to create something new. Starting with the no-pressure rule made the challenge feel a lot more fun and manageable!
Design with an end product in mind. Since my goal was to create art for my portfolio and specifically for products, I wanted to start to design more intentionally!
Explore new subjects. I have a few tried and true subjects that I love to paint, so this rule was put in place to help me push my boundaries a bit!
And of course…Have fun!!
How to Start Your Own 100-Day Project:
Excited to start your 100-day project? Here are four tips for putting together a successful project of your own.
Pick a subject/theme
It’s helpful for your project to have some kind of overarching structure. Choose a goal or theme and let that guide your project. My goal was to build out my surface design portfolio, but your goal doesn’t need to be that specific.
You can choose a subject and paint that every day for 100 days (i.e. paint a new flower every day). Or you can commit to a creative practice for a certain amount of time (i.e. I will paint for 5 minutes each day even if it’s just painting a few brushstrokes).
And the project doesn't have to be strictly about art either. Some examples from past participants are pulling a tarot card every day or taking a photo of their breakfast each morning. You get to decide the theme of your project. Make sure it’s something that feels fun, meaningful, and exciting for you.
Lower the stakes
This one is HUGE! Many people are afraid to embark on a 100-day project because the commitment feels daunting. But when you lower the stakes and give yourself grace if you miss a day (or a lot of days) it makes the whole thing feel more manageable.
The whole idea is that by giving yourself something to work towards, you will be more likely to keep going. But it’s ok if you skip days or just paint one brushstroke. Your project will be there for you when you’re ready to pick it back up!
Share your work
Sharing the things you create can feel scary, but it’s an important piece of the project! This helps you stay accountable and opens up so much room for connection with others. Whether you’re connecting with other people using the hashtag #The100DayProject or people in your community, you never know what kind of conversations will spark when you share your work.
Find the JOY!
At the end of the day, this project is supposed to be fun! Pick something that fills you with joy and that you’re excited to work on. This is not a test of your willpower or how well you can push through something hard. A big part of the challenge is reconnecting with the joy of creativity. Keep that as your North Star, and you’re in for a real treat over the next 100 days!
I hope this inspires you to kick off your creative project! I’d love to hear your project ideas. Share them in the comments below! 💕
xo, Jessi
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