31 days of painting – A project to connect and collaborate

At the beginning of 2022 I accidentally got myself into a daily art challenge. It was somewhat intentional, but also not entirely. And I couldn’t have imagined what it would turn into! My initial goal was to build a daily habit of painting. To create a space in my day where I could relax, reflect and paint. A space to be creative. I started by painting landscapes from books that I thrifted or rented from the library and told myself that if I painted every day for one whole week, I would paint every day for 30 days. After making it through one week, I decided to put the pressure on myself just a little bit more by announcing this challenge on instagram. I figured a little extra accountability would help me stick to my word. And it turns out, I was right! 

After I finished my first 30-day art challenge, I received a message from my friend Jen who said that she was interested in doing an art challenge herself. Since I’d already been collecting photos from friends for a second challenge, and Jen was moving into a new creative space, March became the perfect time to begin again. (Hello Spring!). We took on 31 days of painting together and it was the most rewarding experience. Seeing what Jen created alongside myself was a complete joy. I loved waking up in the morning to see what beautiful creations she had made the day before. Below are a few of my favorite creations. To see more of Jen’s work, visit @thepeacockparadise on instagram.

My challenge for March included an ask from the community. I reached out to friends and family to see if they would be interested in sharing an image with me. Since I had already been focusing on landscapes for my previous challenge, I decided to continue in that direction. My prompt for people was to find a “Place of peace” – somewhere in the world that brings them peace. Seeing what everyone chose to send was such a joy! It turns out my friends really love to travel, so I got to travel vicariously through their images. Involving others in my art challenge truly made the experience. I’ve loved getting to reconnect with friends and connect with new people! I don’t have another challenge planned at the moment, but I’m sure I’ll do one in the future. And who knows what it will look like next time.

After painting every day for two months, I’ve taken some time to reflect on the process. First of all, I’m very proud of myself for sticking to this challenge and actually making time for myself to paint every day. It’s been a really rewarding experience and I’m so happy I stuck with it. Some days were harder than others, but I found that once I set the paintbrush to page, I always felt better. I made the choice to create. 

I’ve also found that with any sort of creative or artistic medium, it’s important to create A LOT in the beginning. No matter how good or bad the outcome is. The important thing is to make a lot of stuff and see if anything sticks. So though I tend to be a quality over quantity person, I had to let go of that and start thinking “quantity over quality”. 

I’m excited to keep painting, but I’m also excited to go at it in a slightly different direction. I’ve enjoyed doing small quick paintings, but I’m ready to tackle some larger pieces and take more time with those. I’ll still have my sketchbook to rough out ideas, but I think going larger is going to help me push myself. 

Big thank you to everyone who participated in my March challenge! I’m so grateful for you all. Keep creating and don’t forget to thank the sun!