100 day project days 41-45

Approaching the middle of this challenge now and it feels like a bit of a slog. I'm sure it'll pick up again, but for now it's a bit of a rollercoaster, but then so is life at the moment. I'm sure that when I reach the end of this challenge and look at all the pieces together I'll learn something about my style (I like circles, this I already know 😊) and palette, although with these smaller pieces I don't feel like I'm using colour in the same way as I do in my usual journals. These pieces feel pared back, which is not a bad thing. It's just different. Much like life in these times.

Not all sunflowers

We're not all made to be sunflowers.

Standing back from this page, it looked like there were large flowers looming over the smaller leafy plants. Sometimes we can feel insignificant. As if we're not enough. As if what others do is more important. But we're not all made to be sunflowers. And how boring would it be if we were all the same? A field of sunflowers is a beautiful sight, but so is a meadow full of wildflowers, all different heights and colours and shapes.

You might not be a sunflower. But whatever you are, you are beautiful and necessary.

Don't stand so close

Don't stand so close to me!

When I stood back from this page to decide where it was going, I noticed that all of the 'twin' elements were apart - the two white circles, the two pieces of gelli-printed paper, the two patches of red, and the two patches of aqua. All of this social distancing is obviously seeping into my subconscious. So instead of adding some sort of focal feature, I left it as it was as a sign of the times we're living in.

100 days project - days 36-40

Five more days of this mammoth project. I find myself leaving more black space, enjoying cleaner lines, and doing more collage than I do on my A4 journal pages. Maybe the smaller substrate calls for cleaner lines. Who knows. I should be better at this smaller size by the time I reach the end of this challenge.

Doing the distancing dance

Doing the distancing dance.

I've moved left, so you should, too. No, your left, so we have more space between us. Are you crossing the road, or should I? I'll do it, 'cos I don't know what you're going to do and if I leave it too late we could get closer than two metres. Why can't that cyclist use a bell so I know they're right behind me, way too close and on the pavement even though the road is empty?

It can be a real adventure going for a morning walk these days.

When to stop

Knowing when to stop is a useful skill to develop.

I loved this page when it was only a few layers in. I decided not to cover too much up, just to add some smaller marks and go with it as it was. After all, it's my art journal, so I can do what I want with the pages :) I wanted to stop, so I did.

There are other things in life that we might do well to stop, too. I remember, many years ago, going to a group that really didn't suit me. It was one of those things where people were expected to go, but I hated it. I dreaded the day coming round when I had to go. So I stopped. Just because people expect something doesn't mean that I have to live up to their expectations. After a few weeks, someone else also stopped going to their group, telling me they hated it, too, and my stopping had given them the courage to say 'no more'.

I'm not saying you should quit on things just because you don't like them. There are obviously some things that are difficult but worthwhile in the long run. But there are other things that do you harm if you continue. So if you really find yourself dreading something, ask yourself - honestly and with good reasons - whether it is time to stop.

100 day project - days 31-35

Here we have a mix of things from about a third of the way through this challenge. 'First harvest' refers to the first radish from my veggie garden. The dragon eye just appeared on day 34 and who am I to fight a dragon? And for day 35 there were no words, but I'm really happy with how the piece turned out. Slogging on.

Changed

We shall all be changed.

You can't live through a pandemic and not be changed. Our behaviours are different, and we don't know how long it will be before we can return to pre-Covid behaviours. Or how long it will take us to  remember that we don't need to keep so far apart. For how long will we continue to cross the road when we see other people heading in our direction?

But even in non-pandemic conditions, we shall all be changed. You can't live and not change. Even dead things change, as they decompose back to their basic elements. Where there is (or was) life, there will be change.

100 day project - days 26-30

So I'm in the middle of the project now and it feels like a drag at the moment. I'm making a lot of stuff that I'm not that happy with and then the occasional one I'm pleased with. Learning along the way, so that's good. I guess the times we're in are reflected in the art I'm making. Six weeks or so into distancing and it feels like a slog. But each day is a new chance to do better, so I'll keep at it.

Merging

The days are merging into one.

We're about six weeks in to lockdown and I've hit the 'I'm so tired' stage. Not tired of the conditions but physically tired. All the days feel the same apart from Sunday when we do Zoom church, and Monday when we do our shopping. Otherwise I'm having to mark the days off on the calendar to keep track. I'm sure I'll rise up again from this dip - it seems to be a bit of a rollercoaster ride for all of us. Let's take each day at a time, even if we don't know which day it is.