Wrapping up the 100 Day Project: I made it!

Over the years, I’ve never actually finished the 100 Day Project on time. For those who aren’t familiar with the 100 day project, it’s a creative challenge where you commit to doing something artistic every day for 100 days and share your progress along the way.

I’ve started a lot of them and inevitably petered out mid-way through or took a long time off and then managed to wrap it up. (Here’s my project from 2019 and my project from 2020 and Julie’s Project from 2019).

This time I finished! And on time, too! Yay!

Now that it’s done, I’m giving myself a short break, but I’m already thinking about how to turn this series into a downloadable set or something bigger like a coloring book… Stay tuned!

My project was simple: draw 100 outfits for a new series of kid-friendly paper dolls. Yes, there are dolls. No, I’m not sharing them publicly, only paid Patreon members get a preview.

From the start, my goal was to produce 100 outfits. I’d read somewhere (can’t remember where) that 100 day projects can be about play, practice, or production. This time, I focused on making something tangible. So, my goal was production.

To me, that meant batch-working was fair game. I also gave myself permission to skip Instagram or Facebook updates when it got overwhelming (which it did) and focus on Patreon instead. And if I worried about over-posting? I reminded myself: patrons can always turn off notifications.

What did I learn along the way?

Honestly, it wasn’t so much about learning something new. After all, I’ve been drawing for a long time. I already know that creativity feeds itself. Once I get started (which is often the hardest part), the act of making something inspires me to keep going. The more I create, the more I want to create. It becomes a loop of positive reinforcement.

What I was reminded of, though, is that I have complicated feelings about creativity. Often, I feel like I “should” do things a certain way: I should be able to do a daily project (even though I always burn out when I try). I should want to post regularly on social media (even though I don’t enjoy it). I should write intelligent and witty things about everything I create (even though sometimes I have nothing to say, also how witty can you be about cargo shorts?).

This project helped me try to let go of some of those “shoulds” and work in a way that actually suits me. I worked in batches (eventually). I pre-scheduled things. I set up a plan and then I executed it as best as I could. I like a plan, but I also gave space for- I am sick of drawing this now and I just want to do something easy like jeans.

Finishing this project (on time!) felt like a big win. Not just because I completed 100 outfits, but because I let go of perfection, ignored the pressure to do things “right,” and trusted a process that actually works for me. That was harder than it sounds. I still feel a little guilty for not following the “rules”, but there really aren’t any rules when it comes to making art.

Just do what works for you.

Having said that, I do think regular practice (even if it isn’t daily) is really central to getting better at anything and also to keeping creativity alive.

That said, by the end, I was exhausted. A little grouchy, too. One hundred days is a long time to stick with anything, even something you enjoy.

Thank you to everyone who followed along, left kind comments (especially when a day or two were missing), and supported me on Patreon. Knowing you were out there cheering me on really helped; especially when I was staring at my iPad thinking, I swear I’ve already drawn this dress….

Will I do it again next year?

Absolutely. Maybe even sooner. Or maybe that’s just the post-project high talking…

If you want to learn more about the project, #the100dayproject podcast inspired me, this article helped me structure my project, and I kept this tracker, because checking off boxes feels super-duper satisfying.

You can see all 100 outfits on my Patreon. Free and paid members can view the outfits; paid members also get a peek at the dolls that go with them (well, some of them, I still have a few more to make).