The Challenges of Changing the Rules
As I prepared to jump into the 100-day project in February, I selected rocks as the focus of my project. I love rocks in life and art, so I probably won’t grow tired of them, and while focusing on one subject, I can explore various techniques.
I’m the kind of person who likes to have a plan. Filling yellow legal pads with "To-Do" lists is soothing, so I decided to do a little prep work for the initial phase of my project. I taped off edges for 30 sheets of 8”x 8” watercolor paper, which I would use to make individual gel prints for about 4 weeks. The prints would each focus on a different rock but use a variety of gel printing techniques and have a solid background color. I even planned on picking rocks from my collection and creating the stencils each Saturday for the coming week. And the plan was always to switch up my process after 4 weeks.
Upon finishing my Day 30 print, I tidied up the studio, putting away some of my gel plates, and prepared to switch gears to focus on collages with rocks for the next week or two.
I pulled out sheets of watercolor paper, bins of gel-prints, pre-cut paper rocks, and various scraps sorted by size and shape. I had my glue sticks and scissors ready to go.
When I woke up on Day 31, I went downstairs as I normally do and set out to get to work on my new phase. I started pulling out scraps I wanted to play with, but after an hour, I had a table covered in possibilities and nothing stuck down.
I went upstairs to make breakfast, a bit overwhelmed and disappointed. Maybe switching gears was a bad idea, but I wanted a break from the individual prints. So, what gives?
What I didn’t realize was that I had created a project within a project with concrete parameters. So much so that when veering from my subject slightly on Days 29 and 30 to print shells instead of rocks, I wasn’t fazed in the least. Because the shells still fit within my size, medium, and style of all the other prints.
I also spent a lot of time planning and prepping for the 1st month of my 100 days, but had only loosely penciled in the ideas of “collage” and “larger work” for the rest of my time.
When I switched gears after a month, my brain didn’t know what to do. It didn’t know how to respond to the lack of rules and chaos in the studio.
Changing mediums wasn’t inherently the problem; it was the lack of planning for this next phase that was throwing me off. I needed to do a little prep and establish some parameters for the remaining 60 days, much like I had done at the start.
So, here are my current rules for Days 31-42:
1. 8 x 10 inch watercolor paper as a surface
2. Collages that incorporate rocks from my paper stash, as well as bits of old Thomas guide maps from the Puget Sound region.
3. Not worrying about how accurate the “rocks” look
4. Sticking it down every morning before I head upstairs, not letting it sit on my desk to ponder or make changes.
I added rule #3 because after spending a month creating realistic prints, I found myself spending too much time searching through my stash of paper rocks, trying to find “real” rocks. But, my collage papers are meant to give the idea of a rock, not be an accurate depiction of colors, textures, or lines, requiring another shift in mindset
And rule #4 because…..well let’s be honest it’s too easy to keep making changes and never commit, so I gotta force myself to stick it down or I’ll never make it to Day 43.
In hindsight, this is probably why most people pick one specific, small task and don’t veer too much during the 100-day project. But, the other thing I know about myself is that after a while, I need to mix things up and try something new.
If you're working on a 100-day project let me know how it's going in the comments below. Thanks so much for reading.
P.S. - And here is a video of my rock prints from Days 22-28