Jumpstart Your Creativity: Join the 100-Day Project
by Rochelle Melander
With everything going on in the world, I’m struggling to focus and stay productive. Last year, I discovered and wrote about the 100-day project (https://writenowcoach.com/the-100-day-project/). The 100-day project provides the container I need make art. Read on to learn what it is and how to make it work for you.
What it is
Starting February 23, 2025, artists commit to doing something daily for 100 consecutive days. The creative task should take 5 to 15 minutes. Many participants share their work on Instagram with the hashtag #the100dayProject. But despite this, the project is more about process than product.
How it started
In 2006, Yale graphic design professor Michael Bierut assigned the 100-day project to his students: choose a design operation and repeat it daily. At the end of the 100 days, present it to class. The students created fascinating projects from the raw materials of life: 100 poems based on paint chips, dances in different places, sketches of ordinary objects, photographs of strangers, and more. The project was brought online in 2013 and has grown since then.
Why join in
I’ve done National Novel Writing Month more times than I can count. I love how the challenge connects me to my writing and the community. Plus, even when I don’t “win”—complete a 50,000-word book in a month—the challenge gives me a jumpstart on my work. I imagine the 100-day art challenge provides similar benefits.
How writers do it
Any way you want. Seriously. But if you need some guidelines, here they are.
+Choose a single, simple project. Think small. You could write a poem a day, sketch out a scene for your memoir, or write one blog post. Need something smaller? You might write a short dialogue exchange or reflect on a word of the day.
+Keep it short. Write for 5-15 minutes a day. You can do that for 100 days.
+Keep it contained. Write it on an index card, in a small notebook, or in a single computer document.
+Make it a habit. Tie your 5-15 minutes of writing to something you’re already doing each day. This might mean you write after your morning cup of coffee or right after dinner. Maybe you dictate a short memory while you take your morning walk. Or you take five minutes after lunch to discover and jot down a new word.
Try visual art
If you need to jumpstart your creativity, choose visual art for your 100-day project. It will stretch your skills and support your brain in thinking differently. Learn a new skill, like crochet or sewing. Sketch something every day—it doesn’t have to be good. Go on a nature hunt and take a photograph every day. The point is getting yourself to focus. If you want to tie your visual art into writing, add a word or sentence to each piece you create.
Tips
You can increase your chances of success by preparing for the project.
+Assemble all the tools you need for the project before it starts.
+Create a dedicated space in your house for your 100-day project.
+If you’re writing, brainstorm a list of topics or scenes to choose from. If you’re doing visual art, create a list of subjects to help guide your practice.
+If you struggle to focus, use a timer to help set boundaries around your time.
+Connect to one other person who is doing the project and hold each other accountable.
+If you miss a day, don’t worry—just pick it up the next day.
Your turn
How will you make the 100-day project work for you? Artist EB Hawks suggests brainstorming project ideas—when the right one shows up, you’ll know it. Other artists have used it to stretch their skills, strengthen a particular skill, or learn a new technique.
For more information
You can read more about it and sign up for the newsletter at https://www.the100dayproject.org/
If you are a social media type, follow them on Instagram @dothe100dayproject. Search the hashtag #The100DayProject to find and follow other artists who are participating.
Here are some great posts to help you:
Write Now! Coach Rochelle Melander is an author and ADHD-trained professional certified coach. She’s helped hundreds of people write and publish books. If you’re struggling to start or finish a project, connect with Rochelle to create a personalized plan for overcoming procrastination, dealing with distraction, and staying focused. Book a private consultation: https://writenowcoach.com/consultation/
