On a long road trip back in January, I was listening to some favourite podcasts and came across The 100 Day Project. 

It’s an international project to commit to creativity, to help build habits through small daily acts. To play, practice or produce something everyday for 100 consecutive days. 

It caught my attention because I couldn't bear another minute of being disconnected from my art. I've been running a small business since 2005. If you've ever run a small business, you would know there is no room for hobbies or personal pursuits. One hundred percent of my creativity went into Crayon Chick. Which I have loved, don't get me wrong, but something was missing and I was burning out. I didn't know how to reconnect.

The longer I was away from my art,
the harder it was to get back into it.

The Project sounded perfect. By the time I'd finished the road trip, I'd mapped out a plan, a manifest, a purpose and a vision, I was ready.

My project was to create a small piece on paper each day, and therefore building momentum and habits and building a practice. Gently. I wasn't aiming for finished pieces, or perfect pieces, and not even daily pieces. But a daily practice. 

Art like anything needs practice. An artist is constantly learning, problem solving, trying things out, over and over again. That's why it's called an art practice. It's habit forming.

I started an Instagram page to document and to hold myself accountable. I created a hashtag #100daystofindmypractice

With a little help from the pandemic forcing me to reconsider how I run my business, I now make time to paint regularly, share my work, and I've exhibited and sold original paintings. I have a collection of studies that inspire me to keep making more and I am working on ways to share those studies with you. Watch this space!

The 100 Day Project was hands down the best thing I've done for 100 days, ever.