Scalin - 365

A daily creative project is like a marathon. Its a ridiculously daunting task, but making an original creation every day gives you an incredible sense of accomplishment. It also forces you to push beyond your mental and physical barriers (especially the ones youve erected for yourself). Youll be amazed at what you produce and what you learn about yourself in the process.

363. Skullusion

My friends Nathan and Shelia endured several hours in a small dressing room for this shot.

When I started on my own year of daily art, making a skull a day, ending up on the Martha Stewart Show was the farthest thing from my mind. Indeed, I was really just looking for a new creative outlet. My year of art was a roller coaster ride that ended with a lot of unexpected outcomes, including winning the Webby Peoples Voice Award for Best Personal Website, writing a book, and giving lectures across the country. It also left me with a toolbox full of new skills and creative ideas, which Ive already used in my professional design work and which Im sure will come in handy for years to come. Even better, it helped me connect with my existing friends on new levels, as I worked with and learned from them, and even helped me make new friends from around the world. Most important, the project has inspired people to be creative, whether by starting their own daily project or just making one new piece of art.

OK, so results may vary, but the reality is that the small, incremental steps I took every day added up to something much bigger than the individual parts. A daily creative project is something anyone can do with a bit of perseverance, regardless of skills or talent. And the suggestions and images in this book are designed to help you push past the things that can snag you along the way and to inspire you to discover what you are capable of.

The only rule is: There are no rules!
The point of this book is to put as many tools and as much inspiration into your hands as possible so that you have no excuse but to get started on your own daily project. Read it front to back, or just skip to the parts that interest you. Dont feel obliged to follow everything to the letter. If you feel inspired to do something completely different, go for it! A daily project is all about the rules you make for yourself, and there is no punishment for breaking those rules.

The journal part of this book is yours to do with as you please. Ive written 365 project suggestions, but they are just that: suggestions. Feel free to ignore, rearrange, edit, and/or repeat as you see fit. Perhaps youll even design an entire years project around just one of them. While some are simpler than others, all of them are meant to be doable by anyone, with any level of previous creative experience.

Since my own daily project was visual, Ive made suggestions from a visual standpoint. However, most of the suggested ideas can be interpreted for written or audio projects, and in some cases they are specifically designed for them. The blank spaces are for you to jot ideas, sketch plans, note experiences, scrapbook images, document your project, or just doodle inits all up to you.

Most important: Dont stress out. Remember, this is about taking little steps. When doing your daily project, focus on the current day and dont think about tomorrow, next week, or next month. Big projects can be incredibly daunting, but youll be amazed at what you can do when you break them down into a series of tiny, manageable pieces.

And dont forget to share what youre doing! I want to help you do that, so please send an e-mail about what youre doing to me@noahscalin.com, and I will post about your project on the 365 blog: www.MakeSomething365.com.

Now get started already!