I am in awe of 365 Projects. Committing to doing one thing every single day for an entire year? WAY impressive.
However, outside of basic grooming, eating, and tending to my kiddo, there is little else I’m in the mood for on a daily basis. Which is probably why my own attempts at 365 Projects failed to reach the December 31st goal line. And to be honest, once the streak was broken, the projects ended up all but abandoned. As silly or sad as that seems, in my head, once the chance of 365 days of perfection was blown, it somehow seemed pointless. So this year I decided to change the rules and create Project 300.
Project 300 is the 365 Project for the imperfect, the slightly scatterbrained, and the moody ones. It’s for parents, project lovers, and busy folks with an interest they want to explore.
It’s 300 days of ___________ within 365 days. You name it- drawing, photography, yoga, whatever. Something creative, something you want to get better at, something you want more of in your life. And 65 “free” days to play with according to your mood, your schedule, or the curveballs of daily life. It’s an experiment I’ve designed to see if dropping the pressure of project perfection results in project completion come December 31st this year.
For my Project 300, I’m creating a Me-Mo Book called “Nouns, Verbs, and Other Parts of Life”, where I snap, doodle, and jot about words related to my daily life. Here’s page one of the album I’ve started:
And yes, I’ve already skipped days. Some days just got really busy or felt forced. Part of the goal with my own project is to tune in more to daily life, but I’m not going to fake authenticity for the sake of the project. Doing so has lead to feeling more enthusiastic and excited about this project than other 365 Projects in the past.
So we’ll see. When I floated the idea of Project 300 out on Twitter and Facebook, people responded to the idea of “free” days and that it’s not too late to start a project this year. How about you? Care to join me? If so, I’ve created buttons for those who want to spread the word and let others they’re participating on their own blogs. (A big THANK YOU to Geri from The Languid Lion for helping a sister out with the coding!!)
(Just copy and paste the above code into your sidebar or wherever you want to display it on your website.)
If you do decide to join Project 300, leave a comment below. I’ll be sharing my Project 300 progress throughout the year on Three By Sea, on Twitter, and on Instagram. Look for the hashtag #Project300 and add it to your own posts on Twitter and Instagram. You can also add #OMHG so the Oh My! Handmade folks can follow your progress as well.
To Project 300 and satisfaction over perfection!
xo Nicole
Love this Nicole…and love your definition of a hangover. Perfect. I especially love that you added these buttons…I love buttons.
I am going to give this some thought and tell you what I will do 300 days a year. I love the concept…I want to be true.
Ps. A post on buttons too…..rah-rah for buttons…
I am so guilty of 365 projects that fizzle out! Skipping days is more my speed. 😉
Great idea and I think it’s good to have that goal and push towards it… but to not be too strict or stress yourself out! I’ve bee creating patterns for a 365 challenge, but not actually daily… just as much as I can. That’s more than if I decided to opt out, you know?
Consider me in! It is so easy to get in a rut that adding a little creative spark each day helps make your day complete. I am going to do my best in making the 300 goal. I will post on my blog as well.
What a great idea Nicole! I’ve been committing to something I call “the big MINI Art Marathon” by creating a mini-art piece for the entire month of January. I was toying with the idea of taking it further and your post has definitely inspired me to do that! My big goal this year is to create, so I’m thinking, why not just challenge myself to create some sort of art every day (or at least 300)? It seems I’m already on my way to a good start! Thanks for the motivation…and added accountability.
I love the buttons too! 🙂 And I’m a huge fan of your work.
What an awesome idea, Nicole! My goal is to draw every day this year, but like you said, life takes over, so 300 days sounds more do-able! 🙂
Thanks for the inspiration!
I’m so thrilled to see this idea resonate with others! I’m actually spending time today finishing up entries & printing photos for my own project.
Perhaps I should start one of those linky things over on my blog where once a month or so, folks can share their Project 300 progress?
Love the buttons! I’m thinking of putting in one of my already goals of vlogging every day though. Then I won’t be overwhelmed with a brand new project. 🙂 I’ll just actually be advertising the goal now. Luv it!
I am sooo glad I’m not the only person who feels it unnecessary to go on after missing a day! That’s why I’ve given up on the concept of new years resolutions, I’m just setting myself up for failure with that! I’ve decided instead to build life habits, because something won’t happen naturally until it’s a habit 🙂
This is so great, Nicole… I’ve already started my project of line art/sketching & am loving not only the fluidity, but the forgiving schedule – a brilliant plan! And, I agree with Colleen… loving the buttons 😉
Alrighty, so I officially posted my Project 300 challenge to myself! Here goes nothing!
http://www.joyfulroots.com/the-big-mini-art-marathon-days-16-17/
Nicole – Love the idea of having people share their projects on your blog 🙂
It’s a great way to take the pressure off and adding the fun back in to the project! I’m going back to the basics – putting pen to paper and see where it leads this year.
I am so in! In fact I am writing a post about to share with my readers right now. I am a creative person and love to craft just about anything, but since my son was born in May I find so many excuses not to bother, hopefully this will help me 🙂