Top Tips for Completing the 100 Day Project

I did it! I finished the 100 day project. I am pretty pleased with myself for sticking with this and honestly 95% of the time I really enjoyed doing it. If you are thinking of taking part in the 100 day project I have made a list of my top tips for completing the journey.

TIME LIMIT – Set a time limit for the amount of time you want to spend on each piece, each day. I often went over my set time limit but it helped me not get too carried away because I always had half an eye on the clock. Set aside an amount of time that is realistic to work into your daily schedule. If your project needs long periods of time each day to work on it then it could quickly become too onerous to keep up

HABIT – Try and get in the habit of working at the same time of day. I always worked on my piece first thing in the morning before anything else could get in the way. It doesn’t matter what time you choose but it should be a time when you know you can work without distraction.

DON’T OVERTHINK – You don’t have to have 100 pieces planned out in your head before you start. I chose a theme and let each piece lead into the next. Just make a start and see where it takes you, let yourself play and have fun with it!

MATERIALS and SIZE – I chose to limit the materials I used and stuck to watercolour and ink on paper with some pencil and collage thrown in. I also stuck to the same sized piece of paper every day. Narrowing my options meant that I was not overwhelmed with possibilities and when I was without inspiration I had certain parameters to guide me without too much thought.

IDEAS – I started keeping a list of ideas to try out. I would often think of things I wanted to try and forget them through the day. Adding them to a list on my phone (I use Keep Notes) meant the idea didn’t get lost and it was a good back up to turn to on those days I was not feeling inspired.

TIDY and PREP – This is a dull one but I think that it really helped me keep going. When I finished each swimmer I made sure I cleaned my brushes, set up a fresh pot of water for the next day and that my desk was clear. This meant that each morning I could just get to work without out any fuss

SOCIAL – Share as much or as little on social media as you want to. Sharing on social media can create pressure for every piece you make to be polished and this could be stifling if you want to allow yourself to experiment. It’s your project, you decide what works for you. 

I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend this project, the daily repetition allowed me to experiment and really explore materials and ideas. I felt doors opening up along the way as I had breakthrough moments, so if you are thinking of trying it, my advice is go for it!. I am going to put together a group of the swimmers that I think turned out particularly well for sale. Subscribe to my newsletter if you would like to be notified when they are available.