my 100 day project

For those of you who follow me on Instagram, you may have noticed that I recently started a ‘100 day project.’ The idea behind the project is that you pick a creative activity (in my case I am creating patterns) and commit to doing it every day for 100 days. You can read more about it on the 100 day project website here.

I had heard about it some time ago and I really liked the idea, and I know from experience that I always create better work when I am in the flow of creating consistently. However I was always hesitant to start because the idea of designing every single day for 100 days was daunting, and I wasn’t sure if I would have the time. Recently I decided to just go for it and to commit to making the time. I have been struggling a bit with getting started with creating designs, with developing my style (I felt like I was stagnating a little creating similar things over and over, and generally worrying too much whether other people will like something/whether it is sellable instead of whether I like it), so I thought this would be a good way to get the creative juices flowing again.

So, how have I been finding it so far? The first little while I felt like my designs were all over the place and I struggled to get into a groove. All those months of not designing consistently meant I was definitely a little rusty! I know the goal of the project is just to keep going and not necessarily to have a perfect polished piece of work every day, but I still couldn’t help but compare myself to other artists/designers I follow on Instagram that seemed to produce something a-ma-zing every single day (designers love to compare themselves, it seems!). Lately I’ve been better at working in more of a consistent style. I want to use the 100 day project as a way to try new things and expand my existing style, but not necessarily completely change it.

Doing this has also made me realise that although I have come so far, I still have some learning and growing to do as a designer. I want to get to the point where I am able to consistently and confidently produce something good every day, even on days when I don't have very much time. I also want to start experimenting with more expressive lines and more intricate/layered patterns to add more variety to my repertoire.

Here are some of my top picks from the project so far, and you can see all previous and future designs by following along on my Instagram. I am really enjoying all the feedback and comments I’ve been getting from people, they are encouraging me to keep going so keep them coming! Maybe some of these will end up on future products or maybe they’ll just be nice additions to my pattern portfolio - either way, I am enjoying the process for now.

100 days of patterns design project

posted on 2019 / 06 / 17

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