The 100 Day Project 2023

“Great art is an invitation, calling to creators everywhere to strive for still higher and deeper levels.”

-Rick Rubin

I remember the feeling of finishing my first 100 Day Project. It was a very valuable experience.

If I remember correctly, I quickly embarked on a second 100 Day Project because I was really feeling the benefit of having this goal that I was working toward.

My third 100 Day made it to day 50 and the intense feelings of the pandemic made me reconsider whether or not I wanted to finish . . . I did not.

And then my fourth 100 Day Project, 100 Days of Collage Fodder, done in conjunction with so many others in the community, was the spark that ignited Fodder School!

So can we all agree that 100 Day Projects can be super valuable? I think that is why they hold such appeal so many years after this phenomenon took flight.

If you are at all unsure of what I am talking about here, then please spend a few minutes reading about The 100 Day Project and then come back to this newsletter.

You can read all about the rules of the project here.

The Official 100 Day Project Website

100 Day Project FAQs

I've learned a lot about myself doing these projects. Here are just some of my observations:

-Goals can be extremely motivating for me, but I need to be careful to make a broad goal so that I don't get bored with it.

-Goals can also be very destructive for me, because I have a part of me that is a perfectionist and I am always working to keep my perfectionism in check.

-The 100 Day Project asks us to post evidence of each instance of our 100 Day Project on Instagram . . . but guess what? I don't think that this is realistic for me at this time in my life, and I want my motivation to come from a place other than Instagram posting right now, so I'm going to absolutely allow myself to make up my own rules for my project.

-A calendar chart posted to my wall that I can check off with 100 squares may help to keep me focused.

-My project needs to reflect what is most important to me in my life right now, which is creating more balance in my life between work and play. Just like many of you reading this, I would like to make more time to play with what I love and create more finished mixed media collage art and handmade books.

-Some days I may only have 5 minutes to dedicate to this project, and that is okay! I may not have a pretty photo to post on Instagram, but I will know that I am working toward my goals! It is the consistency of working toward my goals that I am focusing on with this year's project.

-Doing the project with online friends is extra rewarding. I love the connection I feel to my online art buddies and this project always helps strengthen my connections to other artists.

Can you see yourself making mixed media collage art of any kind (any I really mean any kind) for 100 days? Even if it is just for 5, 10 or 15 minutes? Do you want to join us?

What would you want to do for 100 days (remember, the broader the better)?

Here is how I can envision this project for myself:

-Finish UFOs (unfinished objects) from select past Fodder School projects where, as usual, I made way more materials than I could ever finish up in one month.

-Create a series of beautiful handmade journals to sell using 25+ years of collected and handmade collage fodder.

-Declutter my studio space in the process.

-Make more of what I love and share it with the people that I love! If I can do that, this project will be a success.