The 100 Day Project is a free, global art project with a simple premise: choose a creative project or practice, do it every day for 100 days, and share your process online. 

This year’s iteration of the 100 Day Project started on February 13, but the “rules” say you can start at any time. (Spoiler: there aren’t really any rules.) You can do your project for 100 days in a row, skip days--whatever works for you. You can change projects mid-stream. You can abandon it altogether once you’ve gotten what you were looking for. 

THIS YEAR’S PROJECTS

This year, three Alexandria Art Therapy team members are doing The 100 Day Project: 

Adele Stuckey, Clinical Director & Art Therapist: 100 Days of the Collective Unconscious

Dot Dannenberg, Practice Manager: 100 Tiles, 100 Days

Celeste Cantees, Art Therapist: 10 Parts, 100 Days

ADELE: I’m giving the 100 Day Project another try this year with something a little different. In previous years, I’ve created Zentangle art, mini collages, and practiced small moments of self-soothing. This year I’ll be using the Wild Unknown’s archetype deck to tap into the collective unconscious–I’m calling my project 100 Days of the Collective Unconscious. 

DOT: I also thought about last year when I chose my project. Last year I set out to do 100 days of landscape painting, and while I got a lot out of it (namely, surviving the first pandemic winter), it got a little out of control in scope. This year I wanted to scale things way down. My project is 100 Tiles, 100 Days. I’ll be creating something (anything!) each day on a very small canvas: a 3.5x3.5” paper tile. 

CELESTE: After having my first child 6 months ago (happy half-year, baby!) and making other transitions around life and work, I feel a need to reconnect to and reorganize my creativity, and to discover the new me. This project is the perfect opportunity for me to do just this: 10 Parts, 100 Days. I plan to break the 100 days up into 10, 10 day groups, with each group processing a different part of me. 

THE TOOLS

ADELE: Mainly the archetype deck, but also artmaking supplies and items to make this practice a ritual. I often light a candle or some incense before I begin. 

DOT: I’m using 100 paper tiles (some are Zentangle tiles, others are ones I’ve made on watercolor paper) and other art supplies I already own. 

CELESTE: Each art piece will be 6x9” on watercolor paper. Media will be based on what fits my mood at the moment. For my first piece in this project, I started with a micron pen, a resistive drawing material which awards me control, then added watercolor wash, which is more organic and fluid. These two symbolize a balance between the need to control a safe environment for a baby while embracing the moment-to-moment changes they lead us on. The materials I choose often represent bigger themes or feelings. 

THE RULES

ADELE: Pull a card every day. Some days my practice may include art making, but I’ll give myself permission to keep it simple. 

DOT: The only constraint I’m giving myself this year is the tile, which will stay the same through my project. Otherwise, I’m going to let my wandering interests guide the medium. Some tiles might be watercolor paintings, others might be a scribbled quote or micro-journal entry. Maybe some collage, maybe some doodling. 

CELESTE: I’ll break the 100 days up into 10, 10 day groups. Each group of 10 pieces of art will explore and process a part of my life I feel needs more attention. Uniformity between all 100 pieces of art will be the paper type and size (cold press watercolor paper / 6x9” size). Otherwise, the art media, form, and content of each piece will be guided by my moods and interests that day and how they relate to which 10 day theme I am exploring. 

THE WHY

ADELE: I’m looking forward to reconnecting to a creative practice and reworking the definition of what a creative practice can look like. Yes, I’ll make art some days, but it’s not required. As a parent and business owner, making time for a daily ritual feels challenging at times. I love each of The Wild Unknown’s decks and will enjoy getting to know this archetype deck more and learn a deeper understanding of the archetypes. 

DOT: This year, I’m curious to see the mental health impact of a “micro” creative practice. Last year, I found myself spending an hour or more a day on my project, which became unsustainable about halfway through. But this year, in keeping my project to such a small canvas, I’m hoping to power past day 50 with a practice that takes between 5-15 minutes each day. Creativity is an anchoring force in maintaining my mental health through all of the uncertainty we’re experiencing. I want to see what effect a more consistent, yet very small creative practice will have on how I feel. 

CELESTE: After a whirlwind couple of years personally (marriage, birth of first child, career expansion) and externally (global pandemic, political strife, social changes, environmental crisis), I find myself buzzing at the end of every day with new ideas, anxieties, excitement, fears, joy–so much to process. I want to engage with this daily art making practice to allow myself the time to process these major changes, decisions, and events so I can continue being the best mother, therapist, partner, friend, family member, and citizen I can be. Working through each theme for 10 days will give me the time to explore each topic more deeply. 

We’ll check back in with all three projects as the 100 days progress, but if you’d like to see daily snapshots of our team’s projects, you can follow them on Instagram @adelestuckey, @dotdbergpaints, and @celestecantees. 

Are you doing a 100 Day Project this year? Let us know! We’d love to follow along!

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