365 Projects: Creating Every Day for a Year

This is such an awesome thing to do! I have quite a few friends who do this. Maybe next year I will make it my new years resolution to do it. I really want to give it a try!

So inspiring. The Chris Piascik drawing is just hilarious. I have recently been developing some illustrations, perhaps this is just the kick I need to do it more and keep on improving...

Wow, inspiring. And the photo of those erasers takes me right back...great post.

Thank you sharing all the great finds!

So inspiring to see the creativity that blossoms when it's nurtured by daily watering!

Great post. Sometime I would like to try that, I love the poem and photo a day products especially.

I mean Projects whoops:)

This is such a great idea! Its incredibly inspiring.....I think I'm going to give it a try! Thanks for sharing!!!

This is really cool. It's giving me all sorts of ideas!

I am currently doing a photo a day challange. It's been good for me. :)

and it's a leap year! ; this post really gets the old creative juices stirring!

i'm participating in the 52 weeks of mail challenge that etsy has put forth. it is definitely a challenge to make a card every week and I can't imagine doing one every day! :)

Great idea!

I would bet a huge portion of the sellers here on Etsy create on a daily basis, as within us lies a creative soul. The problem is taking time to document it - therein lies the challenge. Those here who have given us insight into their daily projects have done so beautifully. I thank you all for the inspiration.

That zebra is so cool!

Okay, you've inspired me! This could be a great way to help find a balanced approach between creative freedom and a structured practice. Seems like a great way to challenge yourself to go beyond your expectations while simultaneously accepting your limits. Very "be the journey". Love the idea of building a repository of ideas while perfecting technique. Great post!

Many years ago I had a boss who advocated taking the time to THINK. And time to CREATE It is still valid today

Recently I've been getting into journaling I think its important to see just how far you've come in life!

This is such a great project. It sounds like a fun, creative way to discover oneself. And the idea of coming back to this project later in life sounds so romantic. Almost like a way to relive the 365 days.

This was awesome. Thanks,

I love this idea, and in my medium (clay) I have seen bowl a day and plate a day projects. It's a great motivator and way to free yourself from getting into a rut. I might have to give this a whirl! Great post.

I might try. Thank you for the great post!

Interesting!

Love this! Thank you for sharing all of these great artists. Very inspiring!

I'm so inspired! Thought of doing a 'photo a day' at the turn of the new year and failed miserably by Jan 8th... Takes time, effort and determination!

I am a little intimidated by this, but I definitely want to do it. It's just a matter of what rules to give myself; do I stick to one creative outlet, or choose whatever inspires me that day? I do cakes, jewelry, painting, scrapbooking, and pretty much anything I can get my hands on. This should be interesting... Thanks for the inspiration.

I love this!!!! and I agree. I have before tried starting yearly projects that I left abandoned after a short while. I am currently working at documenting a photo a day throughout 2012 of my son. Both sets of grandparents live 2 states away and so that they don't miss out on his daily growing I started projectsielh.tumblr.com where a photo a day(or sometimes more) speaks more than words. But it is definitely a commitment and there have been days that completely escaped me, because sometimes its tough for a 3 year old to stay still long enough, and i didn't capture his portrait until nighttime when he was fast asleep.

Great post. :)

I've been meaning to start a project like this. Mine will probably be a craft project a week, because that inspires all my other creative pursuits. One tip I received from a friend: Don't try to make it great every time. Whatever you do, you will have days when you make something you hate, or the creative juices don't quite kick in. Don't worry, and don't let perfectionism shut you down. You challenged yourself, and you produced something. Maybe the imperfect thing will inspire something great, further down the road.

I wrote a daily journal between the ages of 12 & 32. Then I made a huge bonfire of all my clutter, old love letters & general junk, & put my diaries on the top. I can't tell you what liberating experience it was to rid myself of the tendancy to keep looking back instead of forward!

So inspiring! Every year I mean to do some sort of 365 art project, yet.. well, today is never too late, right?

Very inspiring post. It's time to challenge myself!

I ♥ that Chris Piascik zebra! :D

Great article Amy!!! As someone who posted a Cat-Lady-A-Day illustration in 2009, I am continually astonished by the creative dynamos that continue their 365 projects for more than a year. I am in awe and bow down to them in reverence. My project challenged me to the max and I collapsed in a heap (after dancing a jig) on January 1, 2010 when the project was completed. To maintain my sanity, I now post a modest once or twice a week. I encourage every artistic soul to take on a 365 challenge--it made me a better artist, I attained a new level of discipline, I made friends from around the world and it launched the success of my Etsy shop!

The zebra poster is adorable! I think I might aim for an animal-themed craft a day project! I've never been able to consistently stick to doing something every day but I feel like I could stick this out!

love this inspiring post! I think today is as good as any to start a 312 day project :)

That is so nice 365 days .I just finished my 100 day art project ...today is the last day and i feel great ..I think i will go for 365 :)

cool post!

inspirational!

Great new blogs to check out. Thanks. Maybe I'll find a new blog everyday for th next year.

What a challenge you are blissfully, delightfully and madly throwing out there !!! Like shouting from the top of a mountain !! I would just LOVE to know how many people reading this will actually DO it !! OK OK . . . I am one - just have to find my perfect 365. hmmmmmm . . .

What a great article! The one with the guy who illustrated all of Moby Dick is amazing!! I love the documentation and continuity of a 365 project, I might have to do one someday!

Very inspiring!

i needed this post thank you for the inspiration!!!

These are all awesome ideas.

Very inspiring! There is nothing comprable to putting pen to paper, paint to canvas or your eye behind a camera lense. We all should take a moment out of our busy days to do something creative everyday. One person can inspire many!

I'm taking a photo every day and posting it to my blog whilst I'm living in New York: http://theincredibleadventuresofmisslacey.blogspot.com/ It's so much fun and a real challenge some days!

love this idea and the artists you're spotlighting!

I've just completed a 365 project. A photo a day. It's been about the kids life and what they've been up to and accomplished. I'm that addicted, I'm carrying on for another 365 days. I was also thinking of doing something else 365 ish but can't quite make my mind up yet! This is our story. Although mama is a little under the weather at the moment ;-) http://www.blipfoto.com/nojojo

Wow I never thought about this. It is very inspiring and it just shows how we can be creative and create in so many different ways. Great article!

Inspirational and motivating!!

This is beyond inspiring. This is kick me in the ass stop talking and walk the walk!! I am going to do it!. I am GOING TO DO IT!!! Starting now, I've been dragging my feet and paralyzed by fear long enough. I feel like I just got a bucket of ice cold water dumped on and woke up, except I didn't realize I was not awake. Thank you for this idea. I don't always have to do something mind-blowing, just CREATE! I love you for giving me this positive gift. I hope I can stick to it. butterfly blog: http://www.sharlsmith.com/blog

I have recently really been getting into Print making, all done by hand. So I think my new project a day will be to sketch out drawing an patterns daily that I would like to eventually use in print making. How inspiring this is!

Except this is a leap year....so they are 366 projects this year! I have been participating i. the documenting delight project of a pic a day of my child. Inspired by gregariouspeach.com

Another good 5 year project is The Happiness Project 5 year One sentence journal.

My new shops name is GinaWaltersdorffArt, and Etsy said they cannot change this old shop name. Believe it, that's what I was told in an E-mail. Is any one else have this error. I have an Etsy365 Goal which is to make one new item a day. It is pressure produce, frame and take pictures which is amazingly wonderful. I will have new inventory when I participate in this years art/craft shows. I was sick with 2 different bugs going around and was not working for 21 days. I have caught up. The pressure to reach my goal is the good kind. Some days I am making two or three new things so if I have a problem again, I don't get behind.

I was inspired by all the amazing project in past years and like one of the artists featured I realized how little drawing and art making I was actually doing. This year I started my Year of Pattern blog and Ive been drawing and creating new patterns from my illustrations and photography for each day!! http://patternaday2012.tumblr.com/ I definitely think its helped get the creativity flowing!

I have been knitting one cup cozy a day since September : http://onecupcozyaday.blogspot.com/ It's has given me so many ideas for my other knitting projects.

Yay Amy! Such a fantastic post. 365 days is a long time to do one mindful thing a day but so fulfilling at the end!

I recently completed my own 365 project. I made a hand-made book a day for a year. In retrospect, I often wished I'd picked something just slightly less time consuming. Although some of the books took only half-an-hour or so, most were 2-5 hour projects plus photographing, sizing and then posting to my blog, a big chunk of every day. But I stuck with it and I'm so glad I did. It is amazing what I've learned--about bookmaking, about creativity and about myself. DO try this at home. You won't be sorry! www.make-a-book-a-day.blogspot.com

I have been trying the project a day since July. As my medium is paper the projects don't get real complicated, which helps. It's hard to keep going though. Lots of back problems last year, including major surgery, but I kept going back. The sense of accomplishment, trying new colors of ink and paper, different patterns and styles, keeps me working hard. Most, but not all, of my projects make it to my shop.

Just a note to those who want to begin a 365: like someone mentioned above, it's important to give yourself permission to do/make/write crap sometimes. Not everything you make will be wonderful! The goal is to just DO IT EVERY DAY. It doesn't have to be great. It just has to be done. Some of the worst, butt-ugly books I made in the last year taught me the most... and led to wonderful books down the road.

Thank you for this awesome post! I'm starting my 365 photo project tomorrow! It's a good reason to photograph more, thing I love.

I am already doing this. A quilt block a day for 2012. piecefulday.com

This may just be the thing to get me moving! Thanks for posting :)

wonderful challenge, thanks for sharing this. inspires me a whole lot!!

Oh, I can just smell those erasers!

Inspiration comes in many different forms, visually very creative. I feel I'm pretty dedicated but these guys have really pushed the boat out! You've inspired all these folks :-) Once I get my head round my new venture here at Etsy I'd love to have a go. Will be noted in my business plan for future events.

Doing a 365 project, while stressful and fairly daunting at times, is great to keep you in a routine and responsible. Even after completing a photo 365 project on Flickr I can't believe it never occurred to me to do a jewelry project 365. Great idea!

What i find the most challenging is to keep up the momentum when rarely do i get a comments or feedback. I know the project is "for me" and that I will reap the benefits of the consistency, the growth, the creative depth from doing something with a narrow set of parameters... but to be working in a practical void is a challenge. Any thoughts on keeping the flame hot and fresh day after day? We are, after all, social animals that find our energy from the interactions with others. Thank you for your great article, the new and interesting links and for your tenacity in your own projects. Liza http://mackomics-studio-dress-a-day.blogspot.com/

This reminds me of the 365 photo project my little sister has just completed this year.

What a great inspiration, i make it my goal to start creating spmething every day! Love the post

Wow, thank you for sharing all these projects. I tried a 365 photo project that only lasted a few months. After my son was born, I realized that I was naturally taking at least one photo (usually several photos) a day, but now that's dropped off too. Now I realize that I want to create something focused and intentional on a daily basis. I'm putting my thinking cap on!

I felt really inspired reading this! I make art almost daily but I think I might start a challenge like this soon. Love all the examples!

Ahh this is so inspiring!! I wanted to start my own 365 project at the beginning of the year, but I missed the first couple of weeks. Well, who cares if it's already February? I'm going to start tomorrow! I'll try create a pair of earrings every day. Thanks so much for the inspiration! :) Follow my progress on my Facebook page- http://www.facebook.com/bookmarksNbangles

This is pure dedication and inspiration. Mm~ going to try it starting today. And if I forget, always try try again!

Love love love the work of Chris Piascik.

I have always wanted to try something like that.... Only, I would want to draw something every day. Maybe next year : )

Wow, she is so talented!

Thanks for the inspiration!

Very inspirational! Sometimes it's hard to nurture your creativity when you've got so many things to deal with daily, it's nice to see people finding new and interesting ways to keep creativity alive.

old erasers are really cool grouped together, great photos too

I so enjoyed this post, I hope there will be more like this one where an artist "curates" or shares information about an ETSY member with links. SU

Good One! :)

Amazing ideas! this one has me thinking!

Really awesome!

Wow! The kick in the butt that I needed! Thank you!

yes! So inspiring! I'm a bit more like - something new every week project. Since I started posting fresh collection every week, I feel so much more organised! ^_^ ... and my FB crowd likes it too.

Truely inspiring. Thank you for posting this! I do find time to create everyday, even if it's just a half an hour between my two jobs, or an hour before I go to bed. I don't finish a project every day, but I make progress on something at least.

Awesome post - great contribution to the blog!

Fantastic post... will try to use my brush every day...

Amazing! Every page of Moby Dick -wow, i love it!

I think I should use my coconut daily too, guess I should go out and get anither one, I've used up my last one on an order last week! Ha!

This is wonderfully inspiring! Although I don't have time do do a 365 project yet, this year I've made it a point to finish a project a week, so that's a start! I years past, I would let months and months go by before picking up a pencil or paints - I am so much more full and alive when I make the arts an ongoing part of my life! Thanks for the beautiful reminder to keep creating!

This is such a great idea! I'd love to try it. Thanks for the great post!

Great post!

I did the 365 photo project several years ago - what a challenge! It forced me accept that not every single thing you create has to be a masterpiece. It was not easy, but very rewarding! Also, it helped me get back into photography and at the conclusion of my year, my husband bought me a brand new fancy pro camera!

very great blog post, I would love to see more posts like this one. I've been thinking a lot about "practice" and this may be the kind of project that will begin creating a habit or daily practice of my art. I believe I'll begin sewing a square of textile art a day! HERE WE GO!

I started making at least one thing a day! Whether it be jewelry, crocheted items, sewing, or a drawing. it has definitely helped with my creative processes. I even made a album for them on Facebook, so I could share it with my friends and get feedback. Great article!

i have heard of this before, and it really is a good idea, as many have said. I did this for awhile (not an entire year, but awhile) and found the results to be quite pleasing. I think it would be more helpful if i wanted to continue to make a list of different things to do each day. Some days I only have a half hour, other days i have a few. If I do start this again, writing down a list of cool projects to complete might help, so I am not stumped for ideas or trying to do a project that takes an hour in a half hour. Despite this, it would be an even better idea to just have one day without a time limit. Having a facebook album sounds like a good idea as well, although I am a bit shier about my work.

Thanks for all the fabulous ideas on how to stay creative on a daily basis!

what a lovely way to look at each day as an opportunity, a new start and to stay in the moment. As a yoga teacher, I constantly remind not only my students but myself to be within the moment, to observe and to find small ways to take yoga off of the mat... this is such an exquisite way of doing just that. Thank you for sharing!

The WA street team has a similar challenge to "Etsy Shop Challenge WA! ~ Make a change a day for the better! " http://www.etsy.com/teams/11638/western-australia-street-team/discuss/9754587/ Its very motivating!

I started a drawing blog last year, and am on day 181 of a drawing a day for the year. The biggest challenge is not the drawing itself, practice makes them better. The challenge is finding things to draw. It's taught me to observe and think about things in a different wya every day. Come have a look, cheers. www.j-drawingaday.blogspot.com

I love the Moby Dick idea! and the Shutter Sisters have some amazing stuff....thanks for always keeping me inspired.

I used to draw, rubber stamp, make paper crafts, collage, create and have fun with all of it. Since I went back to college (to major in art) I haven't made much beyond what is required for my courses. Ditto with reading just for pleasure. Oh, the irony of becoming formally educated.

So Inspiring!

Nice article! I really love all these kinds of projects. Actually, I love them so much that I started this Dutch website www.365dagenproject.nl where people can start and blog about their own project. It's a really popular thing to do, that's why I already have over 120 people blogging. Last month I finished my own project. I have been making pictures of myself and a heart every day :-)

It has been a while since I've done a 365 project, but I kind of miss them. Doing something creative gets the juices flowing, the balls rolling, the imagination running free, the metaphors mixing. I think, in a way, it also makes you conscious of your living. This is your day, what are you going to do with it right now? I wonder if I should take up the project again.

...An inspiring article....TXS for sharing!..."L"

I LOVE THIS!

Very inspiring indeed. Great for getting the creative juices flowing.

is it too late to start a project like this!!!??? I love this idea, especially the Moby Dick project. I completely relate to his situation, that of experiencing a bit of an artistic block. I feel like that project lead him to finding the importance of art in his life again. The structure or feel of the "assignment" he gave himself allowed him to eventually open up creatively again, what a beautiful thing!

awesome post! thank you!

Fantastic idea!! I'm feeling a little "stuck" and wanting to find a way out of that. This is the kick I think I need to deal with that! Maybe I will also try different forms of creating.

This is such an inspiring post! I haven't done the 365 project before but now it might be on my to do list! Thanks for the post!

I have to admit, I had to comment on the erasers picture! It just jumped out at me and reminded me of my 11 year old boy. He is obsessed with erasers! No he does not collect them, they are used up before they could ever make it to any collection! He always has his pencil in his right hand and an eraser in his left whenever doing his daily homework! Your article was very inspirational and the picture just caught my eye and made me smile:)

It's so important that people embrace their creativity! That's how amazing ideas happen!! :)

LOVE this idea! Personally, I know I don't take enough time each day to enjoy my life and my creativity! I love to write, as well as take photos, and draw and I know it would be happier if I took even half and hour to let myself go in my art each day :)

I started a 365 project, but only got about 2/3 of the way through the year. Life got in the way (pregnancy number 3), and it became a chore instead of a joy. I did learn though that to create doesn't always mean to create an object. It can be a moment of joy and laughter, a new memory, teaching your child something new, or drawing or sewing or cooking. We all create in so many different ways each day. Sometimes we just need to take a step back and recognize what moments we may have missed during our busy days! To check out my attempt at a 365 project, visit my blog. three65create.blogspot.com

I've been creating everyday since Saturday...that makes six days...359 days to go I guess....

Creating something everyday helps me get through challenges and focus when problem solving. :D I accept! :)