A very long 100-day project
Last year, after discussing with other artists on a Discord server, I decided to try a 100-day project. I was feeling like I was not succeeding in tackling longer / more complex art projects and that I had trouble focusing on improving specific areas of my art. You can find the first chapters of this story on my old blog here, and some visuals of the art I made during this 100-day project (or at least during the first 40 days or so):
Chapter 1 | Chapter 2 | Chapter 3 | Chapter 4 | Galery
As you can see from this story, this 100-day project is taking way more than 100-day… My objective now is to be done with it before March 2025. I am currently around DAY 90 of my plan, and I think one month for the last 10 days is way more realistic than anything I had planned before (but let’s see how the story will go). But before talking about the final “sprint”, let’s look back to what happened.
Reflecting on a very long 100-day project
I took the project quite seriously, and as a great opportunity to think and reflect about my art practice: What did I want to make time for (art-wise) in the next months? I thought about the project as study time, and as a launcher towards more finished pieces. I organized it in thematic series, each with different pieces I wanted to do in different medium. I took some time to find the reference photos, prepare the work surface, etc.
Then, what went wrong?
Several things!
First, I under-estimated the time to work on some finished pieces. Somehow, I thought that allocating 3 days of the 100-day on each finished piece would be enough. But when working large-scale, I usually work in at least 5 sessions, spread out over weeks. So the program did not fit my way of working at all, and it was quite frustrating to realize I could not deliver what I had planned. Tip no. 1: Know how you work!
Second, I did not allow much flexibility in my program. Even if some subjects became less interesting, or if I engaged in other projects, I would not change my working plan (even though my plan had already been thrown down the drain and I was super late in my “program”…). As my project lasted for way more than what was expected, my interests and practice evolved, and I should have allowed my 100-project to evolve with me. Tip no. 2: Allow flexibility and go with the flow!
Third, I did not think the overall thing through. What I mean, is that my whole project was not very coherent, which made it harder to keep the bigger picture in mind when I was less motivated. I had several series, and several pieces I wanted to complete, but when finishing working on a subject, all my final pieces did not fit together so well, because there were done with a variery of media, formats, color palettes, etc. Over time, it became less rewarding, and more of a “study program” than a real project (which is still interesting, but only half of the goal I had for the project). Tip no. 3: When preparing, think about the overall coherence of your work plan and outcomes.
What’s next?
Sooo, with all these learnings, what are the next steps?
Finishing the 100-day project!
First things first, I want to finish this project. Or this work program. It does not make complete sense, because I have done so many other art practices in the meantime, that could have been part of the project, but were not… And I have changed a bit the program to fit with my new interests and go “quicker” through the remaining days. Now, I see the project more as an easy way to make time for some of my art practice and ongoing projects, which I have pushed into this 100-day program. But somehow, I still want to feel I have accomplished these 100-day of art. And it was a great opportunity to practice some subjects, create a study habit and study appetite.
Do other challenges or projects?
I really like to work in challenges or planned projects. I find it a nice way to dive into a subject and make time for practice. I became really fond of doing the same scene over and over again, in various media. If I just have a long list of what I want to do, without a frame (no matter how loose it is), I tend not to tackle the things. So for studies, I will definitely continue to do that, probably my “own” challenges (not following existing ones). I already want to do a “master studies month”, a “50-dance poses challenge” and other thematic work plans. Regarding “existing” challenges, it is a nice way to connect with other artists, to grow your artistic skills and to have fun and experiment. So ‘ll probbaly continue to do some, while adapting them to fit my practice.
All in all, I will definitely continue working this way, but plan the projects and challenges differently and make sure they make sense with my artistic journey! And I think including bigger finished works into this format does not work well for me. The projects and challenges are more a base daily-art reminder, while I keep working on bigger projects on the side.
Final words? Short, focus and coherent :)
