Day 57: creative friendship 👯
they key to having fun, staying accountable, and getting motivated
Hi Everyone!
I’m
, an artist in Joshua Tree, California, and a big fan of #The100DayProject! Over the next few days, we’ll explore how community and friendship can be a part of your creative practice—and how having a creative practice can deepen friendships and connections to communities you are already a part of. ÂThese days, creative community is an important part of my art practice! But it wasn’t always that way.Â
As a kid, I loved to draw and paint. I thought I’d go into art as a career, but in my early 20s when I started focusing on making art that I thought people would want to buy, I lost my enthusiasm for art and gradually stopped painting.
After more than a decade away from visual art, in 2018 I discovered #The100DayProject through a friend and was inspired to do a 100-day plein air watercolor painting project. Through that project, I started to fall back in love with art.
The momentum of doing the project daily while knowing all around the world other people were also working on their 100-day projects gave me the motivation and accountability to keep going with my project. I loved discovering other people’s projects through the #The100DayProject hashtag on Instagram and choosing some of my favorite projects to follow along with throughout the 100 days. I connected online with other artists doing the project and we would trade back and forth encouragement and support.
From Melissa’s sketchbook
I participated in #The100DayProject again in 2019 and 2020, but each time after the excitement, accountability, and community support of the project ended, I didn’t do much art for the rest of the year. But near the end of 2020, my friend Natalie Lundeen (who is an artist and illustrator), suggested that we start drawing together over Zoom. We made it into a weekly drawing session every Tuesday evening, with a different theme each week. Sometimes we’d dress up and have drinks that matched the theme, like wearing fuzzy hats and drinking hot cocoa on the night that we drew snowy scenes. This helped me begin to make art a regular part of my life, even when I wasn’t doing a 100-day challenge.
From there I began looking for more art classes, challenges, and communities to participate in. As a shy person, I found it easier to join online than in person so that’s where I began. I found a welcoming online sketchbook community and daily drawing inspiration through Emma Carlisle’s Patreon and soon found other online workshops, discord groups, and Substacks that inspired me and connected me to other artists.
In 2021, instead of stopping my daily art habit after #The100DayProject ended, I kept going, carried by the momentum of the friendships and communities I was a part of, and now art is a part of my life almost every day. In 2022, I began showing my work here in Joshua Tree and joining local art events which led to new friendships and a feeling of connection in my local community for the first time since moving out here.Â
My love of art that got lost in my 20s has returned. I’ve come full circle, and am now doing art as a career—and I’ve found that for me, one of the keys to keeping fun, accountability, and motivation in my art practice, are the creative friendships and communities that I’m a part of.
Some things to think about:
What type of community appeals to you?Â
Online or offline?Â
Meeting up with a few creative friends?Â
Going to classes or events?Â
Or even starting something of your own?
We’ll explore all of these and more over the next few days!
Melissa
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Note from Lindsay: I was so happy when Melissa pitched this theme. The myth of the lone wolf artist is an old and tired one! While only *you* can do your project, you’re not alone. Thanks to Melissa for sharing her insights and encouragement on cultivating your creative community this week.
You can check out her website here and her Instagram here.
To get the rest of Melissa’s posts on community this week, consider becoming a paid subscriber:
This year I meet up with two friends every 2-4 weeks to make art. At the moment we’re exploring printing. Since retiring I’ve attended both online and in person art classes which have helped develop my skills and knowledge but having a peer group to support you regularly is brilliant.
Wow! I think this guest letter is serendipitous for me in two ways. is so timely gor me. First, friendships with other artists online has been great, especially during the pandemic; however, I'm feeling like I need to spread my wings a bit an connect with artists, arts organizations and related creative groups in my community. It's time for more in person connections with other artists. I was meant to read this letter today. Second, my jaw dropped when I saw who the guest artist writer was - Missa Lakey! I live in NC. My younger daughter lives in CA (a 3rd year PhD candidate at UCR). She visited Joshua Tree one weekend and told me about this cool artist whose work she discovered in a local JT shop. It was Melissa Lakey. I checked out her IG account and began following her. Then I bought an awesome print of hers (a brightly colored painting of a roadrunner) and gave it to my daughter. Isn't that crazy how things come full circle? Also, my daughter just got married in JT this past March! The hairs on my arms are standing up...