If you’ve never heard of the 100 day project before it’s basically just a virtual art project held on Instagram. You choose what you’d like to make, then do it for 100 days. Even when I wasn’t participating I loved following along with those who did. The project is meant to be fun, creative & challenge you a little bit. You can share on social media everyday which helps form a wonderful little community. Or maybe you want to keep this as a personal project & go at your own pace. The 100 days doesn’t have to be consecutive. There are no set rules or project police so just have fun. You can find more information on their website or follow them on instagram & #the100dayproject. This year’s project started on February 13th but it’s never too late to start!
For the past few years I’ve been following the 100 day project. I would always forget about it until it finally started. Then I would feel all this pressure to think of a project. Eventually I would feel defeated before I even started, which resulted in me not participating. This year when I got the email about the start date I immediately put it on my calendar. I brainstormed a bunch of ideas. When I chose my final project I didn’t wait for the start date, I started as soon as I could. I wanted to feel ahead of the game & set myself up for success this year. Part of the project for me is posting consistently about it. If you already follow me on social media then you know, I’m very inconsistent. I usually get motivated to post a lot then will fall off the wagon.
I’m sure by now you’re thinking, “get on with it, what’s your project?”… drumroll….
My project is a handmade art journal! I know that might not seem very exciting but it is for me lol. I decided it would have 96 pages, which is perfect for a page a day. With the other 4 days I planned to prep & build the book itself. This also added in wiggle room so I could do a double page spread or if something was taking longer than planned. I wanted my journal to be durable so I made it out of canva-paper. Which is basically paper but with the feel of canvas. This gives me the freedom to use any materials my heart desires. Not to mention all the layering I can do! I cut & folded all the signatures, then used a Coptic stitch to bind them. Shoutout to Jennifer from Sea Lemon for the amazing bookbinding tutorials. I used chipboard for the front & back covers. I decorated the covers using a sheet of gorgeous art paper from Dick Blick, that I bought years ago but felt it was too special so I never used it on anything before this. For the inside covers I used ivory Chinese calligraphy paper. I thought the fibers matched beautifully with the art paper.
After my book was bound & decorated it was time to start creating inside. I originally wanted to creat intuitive paintings everyday, inspired by Linda Fabry. Yet after doing one page like that I knew it wasn’t realistic. It can be very rejuvenating & relaxing yet I know I don’t have the time or discipline to do that everyday. So I adjusted my vision & decided to just create in my art journal everyday. As I’m writing this it’s day 5. All I did today was prep my page with clear gesso & make a background. I started to create faces yet it felt very forced & the whole point of this is to tap into my creativity, not drain it. So I closed it up & stepped away. I already have an idea for what to create tomorrow.
I plan to make another blog post at the halfway mark & one when I complete my 100 days. If you’re interested in daily posts, I have been posting (so far) everyday on my Instagram. So you can catch up & follow along over there. I’ve also been posting daily updates on my TikTok! I know shocking. I even uploaded a video on YouTube. So whatever platform you prefer, I’ll be there. So what do you think? Will you be creating your own 100 day project? Let me know!
Thank you for being here ♡
Peace & Love,
Nicole Joliada
Nicole Joliada 