When I got started with the 100 Day Project, I thought I could just whip out a lot of these sketches in a half hour or so. I also wanted to go beyond sketching and really branch out with other projects. You can read a little more about how I felt getting started in this earlier post about this 100 Day Project.
Some things I have found so far.
- I am frustrated that others are on day 34 as I write this. I am behind. I hate being behind. I also hate giving up. Yesterday, I decided that I will keep going, get the full 100 done and note care if I am behind everyone.
- I have high standards. I don't want to share things that are just okay or not great. Part of this project is to do the opposite of that.
- Brian Eno and Peter Schmidt came up with some pretty tough prompts with these cards. Some feel very intellectual and you (I) tend to overthink things.
- A friend and I were talking about going through an awkward growth spurt with our art. I have been consistently getting design and custom work, I'm growing wholesale accounts and sold half of the original paintings in my Berkeley art show. All great things, but I often wonder what I should be focusing on. Something felt strange. I realized I just need to go with the flow and things will fall into place. I have been coming to terms with that this week and finally feel really great about where things are going.
Below, you will find out more about the thinking behind the first 10 days of painting.
Day 1 Disconnect from desire
I loved how this one turned out. It was not literal, yet somehow fitting. It felt symbolic to what this project might bring.
Day 2 Make a blank valuable by putting it in an exquisite frame
I found this one pretty funny. An homage to the 80's, to nostalgia and fairly literal.
Day 3 Tidy up
Earlier this year, I read The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up, so I was pretty inspired by this one. I have been getting rid of a ton of belongings, so I thought of someone living in their penthouse, tossing out everything they own to live in a spacious and uncomplicated place. Things get so clear when you simplify.
Day 4 Disciplined self-indulgence
This painting came from knowing I was going on a cruise. I have been dreaming of sleeping on the sea. The trip felt like an indulgence after all the hard work I have been doing.
Day 5 Breathe more deeply
Day 5 Breathe more deeply
I have to admit, I had this idea in Spain. At least to have a girl sitting on the beach. I never carried it out there, but it came to me in Miami. I used my hands to tear out the girl and umbrella. I rolled a piece of paper for the umbrella pole.
Day 6 Take away the elements in order of apparent non importance
When we arrived in Roatán Honduras, this was the view. Humid drips of water everywhere. My thought was that water is the most important thing.
Day 7 Make an exhaustive list of everything you could do and do the last thing
While on the ship, I made this list and did the last one. I ran on the jogging track at the top of the ship. Running out in the open ocean is a pretty great thing.
Day 8 Humanize something free of error
Remember typing words into your calculator? This is why I love this project. Using your head in different ways.
Day 9 Only a part, not the whole
I had this idea while on the ship: part of the moon, part of the boat. I had trouble getting started on it. This one really bogged me down and I stopped working on the 100 Day Project. I finally finished it and didn't post it for a few days because I thought it wasn't good enough. This is where I decided I need to just do it, good or bad.
Day 10 Trust in the you of now
Such a perfect card for me to get on this day. This one's self explanatory, don't you think?
Stay tuned for the next 10...