Halfway done! 50 entries completed and posted! I admit, I fell off the wagon in posting and have lost track of what day I’m supposed to be on. I’m behind schedule BUT I’m not going to quit. When the project and timing is all over, it won’t matter that I took a few days longer…
Life happened… and my journal posting fell down the list in priorities. There was a part of me that said, ‘I made it to #50 and that is enough.’ Then I gave myself permission to go at my own pace, take the pressure off, and move forward. Once I did that, I felt more joy and freedom to continue.
The other thing that is helping me stay motivated in this 100-day project is that I’m doing the project in this journal, and when (not if) I finish the 100 days, the journal will be nearly filled up, completed. I like completion. The finished journal will also give me a reference for ideas, patterns, watercolor and pen doodles, and any mixed media that makes its way into the second half of the project.
Art really does reflect life, as it is often quoted. Some days the process and artwork is better than others - like life. the important thing is to NOT GIVE UP. Even in the squares that I ruined shown below, I kept going, telling myself (out loud) that I just wasn’t finished yet. In these recent pages, and in my life, I spent much of my time problem solving. Looking at the entries below, I can’t tell which two I ‘ruined’ in the process. They eventually turned out okay.
Individual Entries
“Little by little
one travels far.”
~ J.R. Tolkien
I chose these colors for the 49th and 50th entry pages because the Indigo represents the night and the chartreuse symbolizes new growth. These mark the halfway point of finishing 50 entries and also the beginning of 50 more.
Looking back &looking forward
Looking back over the past 50 entries I feel a sense of accomplishment, and thankfulness for this project. Even before I started I learned that simplicity is key and keeping things simple has always been a challenge for me.
I surprised myself by sticking with watercolor and pen throughout the 50 small paintings in this journal. I feel like I could keep going with that for all 100 entries, but at this point I’m still not sure. Maybe the best thing is to look at tit like I did at the beginning. I began with pen and watercolor paints, but didn’t put any media criteria or boundaries, except the layout design, on myself for this project. I still may venture out into mixed media, and am now focusing on a new garden, so that will likely have a part in this next phase of the project and other journals.
Onward and forward…
Be inspired!
Valerie
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Gold Gelly Roll pen (set of gold, silver, and white)
Coliro brand gold metallics watercolors
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Other links
I do not receive any proceeds for linking to the 100 day project or Archer & Olive. I included those links for your reference. Since I am a designer for StencilGirl Products, I receive royalties for the sale of my stencils.