9
04/10
daily365 FAIL
Back in December, I posted about the daily365 challenge. I was really excited about this challenge; it would give me a chance to flex my creative muscles. I started strong in January but after a few days in February, I stopped altogether.
Before I discuss my blatant failure in this challenge let me show a few of my creations.
daily365 Logo
Me as a Teen
Painting the Eye Practice
See the rest of my digital creations at my daily365 gallery on Deviant Art. My sketches on paper have not been scanned.
My failing to continue this challenge is not a mystery to me. I know exactly why I’ve stopped:
I lack motivation.
Maybe I’m not passionate enough about designing or drawing everyday but I really do enjoy doing both! I can’t say, “I’m too busy.” I do have work and daily chores to do but I’m not short on time.
You, dear creative reader, may be able to help me. What do you do to motivate yourself to make art for you? Your input and advice is certainly appreciate!
Categories: Art, Design, Life
Comments
April 9th
Hi Corinne,
I found your blog through your latest #daily365 tweet, and I came across THAT through @cmdshiftdesign’s latest post.
Anyway… I totally relate to what you’ve been going through w/the #daily365. I’m also working my way through it, and, like you, I recently hit a nasty snag/block/bump in the road, and I started feeling some the same things as you– that I had no passion, or that maybe I had bitten off more than I could chew. Let me tell you (a quickly as I can) how I got to today.
I started my “challenge” a couple of days into January with no restrictions except giving myself a time limit of about a half hour (I figured I could carve out 30 minutes somewhere in the day), and that seemed to work well. February was also really productive. I was cranking stuff every day– some good, a lot “meh”. But I was getting them out. The point wasn’t so much about polished pieces as it was more about taking an idea, refining it for a little bit (as much as I could), and then putting it down and moving on. Then in March I figured I’d challenge myself and set a theme for the month.
That’s when the wheels came off.
About a week into the month I just hit a wall, and I spent the rest of the month in an unmotivated, apathetic funk, just barely catching up. Eventually I got about half a month’s pieces in. I dusted myself off and started April up again, and now I’m resolved sticking with what worked– no subject or medium restrictions. Just my self-imposed time limit. I wake up in the morning not knowing what I’m doing for my CSED (Create Something Every Day. I found “design something” to be a bit restricting). Some days the ideas come real easy. Other days I spend all day banging my head against the keyboard trying to coax something out.
Anyhoo. I read your post here and I wanted to share, in my own sometimes long-winded, parenthetically filled way, my experience with this project so far, because I’ve been there, and because I know that it’s not easy to crank stuff out every day. But it sure is fun proving myself wrong every day.
Now, it’s 11:15pm, and I need to get to work on today’s piece. :)
I look forward to seeing more stuff from you real soon.
take care.
April 10th
Hi,
I saw your entry yesterday, came to the blog and could not find this article. Not sure why. I was going to leave you a comment. Today while I was browsing http://rcarmstrong.wordpress.com/2010/04/09/0409-braille/ dailies I saw he linked to your entry here and it was then when I could read this.
I have limited time to do mine and it is always a challenge. Some take forever! And of course there is the never ending dilemma of what to do what not to do, is it interesting enough, will people like it, etc. I want to do them because I am learning so much and for me, this is something I am doing for me. And that is what keeps me motivated. These are not for a client, for a exhibit. They are for me. And at that, I have become very selfish and even if it is somewhat crappy, I do something because it is for me.
So, my suggestion is to not pot too much pressure on yourself. Some people are very behind. They keep posting them trying to catch up. Do not stop. Even if you miss days or so, who cares? Keep going where you left off. When you look back you will see some of them will be brilliant and perhaps you can print them or not and perhaps you will not care. But it is a time for you just to do what you like. Keep going! We are here for you!
April 10th
Thanks for sharing your experiences Rafael & Alma! I really do appreciate the encouragement as well.
The cool thing about doing this challenge is you have a piece or several pieces that you feel strongly about and may build upon them or make them better! I have a few pieces that I wish to improve, so that’s something to look forward to!
Anyway, what I think I need to do is “just do it”! There should be no pressure and I should have fun with this challenge.
April 10th
Hi Shizu,
A couple things that I’ve done that have help me to go from worrying about falling behind to looking forward to the day’s post are:
1) Don’t restrict yourself – If you keep making false starts because there is a voice in your head telling you, “That really doesn’t fit with the theme”, ignore it. As long as you are creating something each day, it’s a win.
2) Don’t beat yourself up over missed days. I’ve missed some days due to other obligations or sheer laziness. When this happens, don’t beat yourself up over it. Get back to it as soon as possible. You can fill in the blanks as you can from days that you overproduce.
3) Make your goals achieveable. Your goals should be a challenge, but make them achieveable. You wouldn’t try to make a full website or paint a portrait each day. It’s just too time consuming to do it right. Pick something you can do in a day. If you really do want to work on a big project, break it up into day sized pieces.
4) Use Themes until you don’t want to. If your theme has you stuck in a rut, forget it. Do something else.
5) Take inspiration from your daily life and make it personal. We all think about stuff every day. If you spend a significant amount of time thinking about something, it’s safe to say it interests you. Use this in your creations to find your inspiration.
6) Invest a little. Most people, myself included, don’t have a big budget for something like this. But we could all spend a few dollars on something new. Find some Crayola pencils, or a nice pen or something else you like and treat yourself.
I hope this helps. I recently posted a congratulations to all for making it to 100 days, http://indexcards.rubyyot.com/2010/04/10/day-one-hundred/ and I would extend these same congratulations to you for making it as far as you did. Don’t stop now.
April 11th
Thanks so much for the tips Jamal! I like the idea of themes; I might start something this coming week!
I may have missed a good bit of Feb & March but I’ve started up again. I’ve got a few stuff to post now!
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