Recently, I started participating in the 100 Day Project on Instagram, a creative challenge originally begun by artist and author Elle Luna and the print publication and online magazine The Great Discontent. It was easy for me to choose my theme and accompanying (unique) hashtag, which is #100DaysofEarlyChristmas. My main creative business goal this year is to create a line of holiday products based on my designs and drawings. Doing these daily drawings and posts for the challenge will keep me on track to have a sizable collection of ideas ready to develop into finished holiday-themed illustrations that will then be turned into cards, gift wrap and whatever else I can dream up. Having made it just over a third of the way through my journey in the challenge, this is the perfect time to gather up my ideas so far and post them here. This is a figurative high five to myself and everyone else participating, for not only taking on the challenge, but also for sticking with it.

One key part of the 100 Day Project is the fact that one publicly commits on Instagram to doing it, no matter when you actually join the challenge. It’s a daily exercise in which you have pledged to participate, and once you do that, you are now voluntarily connected to a group of people who have made the same pledge. You instantly feel the connection with everyone by way of common hashtags such as #The100DayProject. Each participant also has the option to choose their own, unique hashtag to coincide with their chosen theme, so that there is an instant showcase of their work on Instagram (when you click on their hashtag). Participants can create and post whatever strikes their fancy, each project being a distinct personal journey of some sort or other. I’ve seen posts by people working on improving a particular skill, getting back to doing an activity they love, sharing inspiration and daily rituals, and so on. The possibilities with this challenge are literally endless. For me, I’ve noticed that it’s gotten easier to just posting something, even if I’m not crazy about the piece, for the sake of keeping up with the challenge and my commitment to the daily practice of getting my ideas down on paper. The 100 Day Project brings into sharp focus how important it is to simply begin. Day One already seems like a long time ago, but if I had never started the journey, Day One wouldn’t even exist.

Slideshow photos are from my Instagram feed: instagram.com/pamwinters (All images © 2016 by Pam Winters)