100 DAYS CHALLENGE - WHAT I LEARNT
100 paintings in 100 days. Was I mad? Probably. But this challenge taught me so much about myself and who I am as an artist. And with the challenge being over now for almost two weeks I have found myself at a total loss of what to do. 100 paintings in 100 days, gave me something to work for, it gave me structure. And now it is over I find myself with a lot more time on my hands and not really sure what to do with it. Not to mention the growing pile of “things I had put off because the 100 painting challenge was my priority” that looms over me.
But regardless of the strange limbo, I find myself in now, I am so grateful for the lessons this challenge taught me.
In this blog, I want to reflect on this and encourage any artist who is finding themselves at a loss to do this challenge – because honestly, I have learnt so much about myself as an artist doing it.
I LEARNT THE IMPORTANCE OF WHY
Talk to any successful person, and you will often find that the thing that drives them is, their “why”. I knew that to make it through this challenge, I needed something to work for. So before starting I made a list of all of the reasons why I should do it.
I’m a quitter. I quit swimming lessons, I quit piano lessons, I have quit many a job – but the only thing I haven’t quit – is art. Having said that, there can be days or even weeks when I won’t paint a thing. I needed to change this. Because to be successful in this industry you have to show up EVERY DAY.
I needed to up-skill as an artist, I had completed several art courses, but in all honesty, just hadn’t put enough work in for my skills to be where they needed to be in order to become a top-selling artist.
I wanted to streamline my process
I wanted to find my voice
I wanted to give back.
This year, my dad was diagnosed with Blood Cancer. I was struggling with the grief of this diagnosis and the loss of control I felt over it. I needed to feel like I was doing something to help.
Blood Cancer UK does some amazing research, and has a great support line for those in need of help – so I decided to raise money for this charity by giving 50% of sales to them. It left me with very little profit, but this isn’t why I wanted to do this challenge.
By giving myself a why, before starting the 100 painting challenge, I had a reason to keep going, even when I had no motivation. I had people relying on me.
DON’T UNDERESTIMATE ACCOUNTABILITY
Next thing I did, was tell everyone about the 100 painting challenge. If you have followed me on social media – then you couldn’t escape it! (Sorry!!)
But that kept me accountable. I knew that if I didn’t show up and paint, people would know. And that was a great motivator to keep going when all I wanted to do was quit.
Sharing your journey with people can be a terrifying thing, but it can help you in so many ways. I learnt that sharing your journey can keep you going. By making a point of posting every day, even when I got hit by covid and had to isolate, I was still accountable. 100 paintings in 100 days became my new normal.
I HADN’T PAINTED ENOUGH
Painting 100 paintings in 100 days showed me how little I was painting before this challenge. In fact I would go as far as saying I was being incredibly lazy! It made me realise just how much I could grow, if only i painted more .
I hadn’t been consistent with my art, and as a result I wasn’t seeing the growth that I desired. 100 paintings in 100 days changed that. It gave me confidence in my abilities as an artist and made me realise just how much potential I have.
PREPARATION IS EVERYTHING
Doing a challenge like this you need to be prepared. I had to make sure I had enough canvases, paints and other materials to last me the 100 days.
I also needed to make sure that I had enough sources to paint from. When I had a source and an idea it was EASY. When I didn’t things got tough, really quickly. I would find myself procrastinating, not knowing what to paint.
Having prompts was super handy for when I was stuck for some inspo. But what I noticed as I went through the challenge, was that as long as I knew what I was painting – it was easy. I didn’t get artist’s block.
I LEARNT A NEW PROCESS
Because I chose to experiment in the 100 painting challenge – my process changed drastically. It became more refined, faster and I learnt to trust my instincts more.
I tried so many different techniques, and colour pallets and managed to fast track my growth as an artist by just showing up every day. I tried different subjects, different mediums and different sized works. Because I experimented so much , I found new ways of working that I absolutely love.
I LEARNT STRUCTURE AND DEDICATION
I’m a quitter. I have said it before and I will say it again. I don’t know if it is my short attention span, or if it is my millenial attitude but I often start things and give up. 100 paintings in 100 days showed me that if I am dedicated to something – I can achieve it.
I also learnt that by having a set structure, everyday, it was easier for me to show up and paint. It became part of my daily routine and I didn’t even think about not painting some days.
So those are just some of the things I learnt from 100 paintings in 100 days! I would highly recommend trying it for yourself. It was an amazing experience and I’m so grateful that I did it. Who knows where my painting will go from here!
If you want to try something new, give yourself 100 days and see what happens! You might just surprise yourself with the results. 100 paintings in 100 days showed me that anything is possible if you put your mind to it.
I hope this blog post has inspired you in some way to challenge yourself as an artist. 100 paintings in 100 days was one of the best things I’ve ever done for myself, and I would recommend it to anyone who wants to grow as an artist.