After my last post…
… I was asked about sharing more details regarding time management in the context of an art practice. This question came at an interesting moment as I was just about to start a new daily art practice. So, instead of answering this question in one sitting, I’m going to peel back the layers over the next few months and see what we find - starting with a new 100-day daily art practice.
Five years ago, on April 1, 2020, I started a “Photo a Day” art project. It turned out to be an important lifeline for me, which continued for three months. It gave me a reason to go outside at a time when many communities (including my own) were in lockdown and to find a connection to something larger than myself within little glimpses of nature.
“I was suddenly at my most desperate to find a manageable daily creative outlet requiring minimal effort when I had little to give. I started making myself take a daily walk to find one interesting spot of color or texture to photograph to ground myself in the moment. I used these photos as a daily log by writing a single thought, action, or event from the day onto the photograph with a metallic pen.”
~ A Painter’s Journey | Art found in Process, Poetry & Possibility, 2021
To mark the five-year anniversary of this project, at what has become another historic time of upheaval, I decided to challenge myself to create daily drawings over the next 100 days to capture both my commitment to finding beauty and connection where I can and to document the days ahead.
What’s important about a daily art practice?
It’s amazing what can be accomplished with a little time and effort. Whether it’s learning a new sport, playing an instrument, or learning a new craft - improvement and even mastery can be a simple process of (1) finding trusted resources from which to learn (i.e., a book, a coach, a class, a YouTube video, etc.); (2) practicing the appropriate skills; (3) accepting that it takes time to improve; and (4) understanding that improvement is often non-linear. In other words - that old adage, “two steps forward, one step back,” is a valuable reminder that every day won’t necessarily have a better result than the day before. But also, there are days when an “aha” moment arrives, and a larger leap is made. Nobody travels the road to mastery the same or without bumps along the way. However, it is regular and consistent repetition that will pave the smoothest path. What that means for you or me within the context of our daily lives may be different, but even the smallest steps can still lead to remarkable improvement.
Why 100 days?
For myself, I ultimately have three goals: improve a skill (botanical illustration), document a moment in time (using contour drawings to capture daily news headlines), and create a new skill-building daily habit. So, how do I decide how long to make my project in order to form a new habit?
“Everyone has a unique habit-building timeline—and no matter how long it is for any individual, repetition is the key to making it work”
One 2009 study found that habits typically develop in 18 to 254 days, with an average of 66 days to reliably incorporate a new daily activity.
There’s no one-size-fits-all figure, which is why this time frame is so broad; some habits are easier to form than others, and some people may find it easier to develop new behaviors.
There’s no right or wrong timeline. The only timeline that matters is the one that works best for you.
For myself, I like a nice round number (100 sounds good), and one that I feel is attainable while still giving me the satisfaction of seeing improvement in my drawings over a period of time. So then I have to ask myself - can I reasonably get out my drawing paper and inkwell and complete this task every day for 100 days? If my goal is to set aside just 15 minutes each day, I think I can. It won’t be easy, but that’s okay. For me, it makes the project so much more rewarding when I know I have to work at it.
Whatever the number is, though, it’s important to give yourself grace.
Tips for Sustaining
Accountability: I have to admit, many of my most cherished completed projects only happened because I put it out into the world I was going to do it, and I didn’t want to back down from what I publicly said I would do. While this method doesn’t work for everyone (it may even cause the opposite outcome), I find it works well for me - even if it’s just one friend cheering me along.
Have a plan: Set up simple parameters with achievable goals. In my case, I pre-purchased 100 round watercolor papers and chose simple, portable tools with which to work. (It’s important to keep in mind how you will proceed when you can’t work from your desk/studio.) I also plan to start each week preparing the watercolor paper in advance (adding bits of collage and paint to provide an interesting background on which to draw.)
Join a group or follow a fellow traveler: Plenty of daily challenges are available to prompt and/or support a new daily practice. Here are a few artists and challenges to give you a head start.
Some 100-Day Challenges
On Substack
Day 37 of 100 Days of Art Journaling with
Sketchbook Tour 40/100 Days of Mexico with
Day 16: Fruit #the100dayprojects with
And finally, my current favorite…
My 100-Day Challenge: Week 1
100 days, 15 minutes at a time, 2 stories unfold
Watch my progress with Botanical Illustration - providing the impetus to get outside and connect with nature, and News Headline Journaling - showing the context and turbulence in which these natural forms take shape.
I plan to share updates on my project every 2-3 weeks here in
, with semi-daily posts in my Substack Notes (which you can see by following me ). In the meantime, here are a few photos from my drawing table for Week 1.
Format
Since my original daily photos were in square format, I decided to change things up a bit by working on Hahnemühle pre-cut round watercolor paper. This choice aligns with one of my project goals (improving my scientific and botanical illustration skills) by giving me a more organic shape from which to start.
Side A (botanical drawing)
As a nod to my photo-a-day project, this side will be inspired by a piece of nature collected or photographed on a daily walk. I will be incorporating some collage in the background before using pen and ink to attempt a detailed drawing of the collected item.
Side B (headline-inspired contour drawing)
To once again capture a journaling aspect of this project, I will use a headline and photo from daily news sources and create a simple black, mostly contour drawing (aka using outlines) on the back with the headline's text and date noted.
Additionally
I plan to keep a journal of my progress with notes on the locations of found materials, skills I’m learning, products I’m using, news sources, and drawing successes and failures.
So far, six days into the month, I’ve kept to my daily schedule—sort of. I had hoped to make this my first activity (as a warm-up to my day), but I only succeeded in doing so in my first three days. Day 4 was completed at night, Day 5 was completed in the middle of a gallery work shift, and Day 6 is yet to be done (but not to worry—I’ll get to it after dinner!).
In other words, a scheduled routine is not easy to arrange (much like a new habit is hard to form), but I’ll keep trying as I share more with you about what a daily art practice looks like (and doesn’t).
Only 95 days to go!
~ Jennifer
Those penguins are absolutely delightful! It's insane to think five years has passed since lockdowns. My life is so different to how it was then, as I'm sure is the case for most people. I am so glad so much art and photography came out of something so grim.
What a great project! Those penguins are adorable, and I love the whimsicality of the apple blossoms. Thanks for the shout-out, too!