The 100 Day Challenge - The Art Community Version

I am getting ready to start a 100 day challenge. Actually, I am getting ready to start two. The first is an art challenge - I haven't quite decided what I want to do with that one. The second is a clean-up challenge that I am going to also do - something that I need to get done for my home and my well-being. So, there you go. Two different 100 day challenges.

The art challenge starts on February 22nd - at least, that's the date suggested by the art challenge coordinator. Like I said, I don't know what I want to do for this challenge, but I will figure something out. I may do something similar to some of the smaller art challenges that I have gone through before - I may make a book and then fill it up with drawings or journaling or something like that, or I might try painting or crocheting daily. The purpose of the entire thing is to just do something every day. There is no expectation of getting better at any sort of skill but just to do something. So, I will be doing something art like every day.

The other challenge that I am taking up is a five-minute tidy challenge. My house is not clean. It is never really all that clean, but it has become really sad. So, I am going to dedicate 5 minutes of every day to cleaning something - wiping down the toilets or mopping the kitchen floor or folding some laundry. I want to live in a neater space, so it is time to focus on that goal.

So, from February 22nd through June 2nd, I will be working on these goals. Art experience each day and a five-minute clean.

The idea behind all of this, at least, for me, is to make things that I need to do and things that I love to do more prevalent in my routines. The best thing about something like this is that there is a community out there who will be sharing ideas and thoughts and projects. Today's five-minute clean is going to be my desk here. There are things piled on top of things, so it is time to organize this space a bit. 

As you can see, there is stuff on top of stuff on this surface. It is time to put things where they belong. It never takes long to do this task, but it does need to be done. Five minutes of attention can help this situation and make a bit more conducive to working and living in a neater environment. 

For the art project, I just had a flash of inspiration. I have a set of blank rolodex cards that I ordered for my rolodex but will not fit, so I have 100 cards that won't work for the purpose that I intended. I can do something with these cards. One per day. 

On a somewhat related note, did you know that you cannot find replacement cards for mini-mini rolodex files? I didn't until today. You can buy another rolodex system, but you cannot find the blank cards. Ugh. I guess I will be cutting my own cards,

Okay, back to art. With 100 blank cards already part of my stash of things that I bought that do not have a use, I can do something each day on the size of a card. I have markers and watercolor pencils and all sorts of other things that I can use to create something. I am going to make a box to keep my cards in when they are finished. That is also something that I enjoy - using up materials that I would usually send into the trash system for something useful. Making a small box out of an old piece of cardboard has its thrills.

For now, I am going to spend some time clearing off my desktop and then doing something artistic. It is the start of my practice for my 100 days right here, right now. I will be posting things on a not so regular basis, so if you want to see my projects, stay tuned.

100 days starts in eleven days, so here I go...