Get clear on your *why* 🤔

How to choose a great #The100DayProject this year

Hi Artists, 

After years of facilitating the project, I’ve found three core motivations for doing #The100DayProject:

1. To play: you’re doing the project to have fun, either on your own or with someone else. You’re not particularly motivated by the outcome, but you know that sometimes the best things come from letting yourself experiment and doing something you enjoy.

2. To practice: you have a skill you’d like to improve, something you’d like to learn, a new tool you want to get to know better. The project is a way for you to build that creative muscle.

3. To produce: you have something you want to accomplish and you know what it is. For example: finish your portfolio, put on an art show, write a book. You’re using the framework of a daily commitment to help you complete something.

Here’s why it’s helpful to understand your motivation: you’ll have a better experience if you know why you’re doing the project and what you want to get out of it.

If you’re trying to produce something really big like a book but you only spend five minutes a day on it, you might not feel like your project is successful. If you just want to have fun and play, it doesn’t help to compare your output to someone who is investing more time in order to sharpen their skills.

These aren’t mutually exclusive – in all likelihood, your motivation for doing the project is a mix of all three. After all, there’s no reason you can’t have fun when you’re working towards an outcome, right?

A few things to start thinking about:

1. What’s your core motivation for the project this year?

2. Does the project you have in mind line up with your core motivation? 

3. If you’re not sure, try brainstorming project ideas for each of the three motivations. What are things you’d enjoy doing each day? What are the skills you’d like to improve or what would you like to learn? What creative goals do you have?

4. Where is there overlap? What shows up in more than one category? 

If you’re already clear on your project this year, great. If you’re still thinking about it, also great! I hope this helps give you direction and confidence in the path you choose.