Reflections on the #100 Day Project and more!

Miss me? Lar and I enjoyed a relaxing exploring Connecticut and Rhode Island for a week. Our trip took us to Hartford,  New Haven, Trumbull and Monroe, Milford, Silver Sands State Park, Mystic Seaport, Pawcatuck and Newport. Our sense of time took a hit--what? It's only been a week since we  were there? So much to process and remember, not a lot of journaling time. I did take a small Moleskin journal, but didn't do any visual recollections of what we saw. (I usually make "Postcards to Myself", which you can see in earlier posts.) I saved lots of brochures and ticket stubs and maps and started a collage yesterday, which I hope to show you down the road!

But I digress. I wanted to share some thoughts on my 100 Day Project, in the hopes that maybe you'll give it a try!

• In the beginning, I intended to use different papers in neutral colors with a variety of colored ink. After a couple weeks, I found I enjoyed the opposite: colored backgrounds with sepia ink. This brought me joy and motivated me to create. Lesson one: I really love colored backgrounds.
• Twisted tendons made it painful to draw. I started using collage, stamps, stencils. This brought me joy and motivated me to explore. Lesson two: Art doesn't have to be hard. Explore ease.
• When I didn't create, I didn't create. Lesson three: Don't beat yourself up. Ever. Read that again.
• Sometimes, I didn't use a Zentangle pattern. But I always used the principles of Zentangle, especially the following: Everything begins and ends with gratitude and appreciation. Anything is possible, one stroke at a time. No mistakes. Trust the process. Lesson four: Zentangle is not just about pattern art. The Eight Steps go beyond the tangles, and connect us with our inner creator.
• Once I found my rhythm, I had to keep it up. I've started daily art again, this time in a 3.5 inch square journal. I had to. I missed it. Right now, my modus operandi seems to be putting down a background in the morning and adding bits and pieces during the day. This is comfortable and works for me. When we went on vacation, I took 6 3Z triangular tiles, thinking I'd do one each day. It didn't work, and partly because the shape is less familiar to me. Lesson five: Find what works for you, and do it consistently. Pay attention. You will probably change. If so, adapt. If not, continue. Refer back to lessons two and three.
• My final take: Remember that this project is about process, not product. (Like Zentangle.) Find your joy. Have fun. Explore your artistic identity. I am thrilled that I found my "voice", at least in this moment. I learned to try some new techniques. I gained some flexibility in my expression. I worked to please myself, not others.

It's not too late to join in! No worries if you do it differently. You do you!

And, in closing, this week's entries in my 3.5 inch square journal.

Have fun!