The Start of the 100 Day Project 2021 : Days 1 through 20

I started 2021’s 100 Day Project on January 31^st. I assume they moved it up from its usual April starting date because, well, there’s nothing better to do this second year of pandemic plague lockdown. And most of us truly need to have a reason to create every day to offer us some relief from our anxieties.

This is my 4^th 100 Day Project. Two years ago, I found the magic of this challenge when I recreated objects in my house using pencil and pastels. This year I am recreating views from with my house using watercolor pencils. I found my rhythm and talent then and I’m searching for it currently in this different medium. And what I also gained from this perpetual daily project was a self-trust and meditative practice that brought joy to my heart.

I am currently working on a way for the world to share in the joy of the art and discoveries of that and this projects so that they may open their hearts to an understanding of their own creativity that goes further than just showing up whenever the mood strikes.

Meanwhile, here are the first 20 pieces I’ve created thus far for #100daysofShalagh and #the100dayproject2021 .

Interested in reading my future ponderings on Creative Soul Living? Subscribe, via the subscription box in the sidebar, to my weekly posts via your emailbox.

Find me on Instagram to see my daily pictures,

friend me or like my page on Facebook.

Or come find me on Twitter or Pinterest too.

I am a community kinda person and am always practicing Intentional Intouchness.

I live for conversations.

And, as always, Thanks to you for your visit.

You Don’t Have to Be Called “Artist” to Create, You Just Need to Create

You recognize that you’re a creative person. You make stuff all the time. And yet you aren’t comfortable calling yourself an artist. You say, “Artists devote themselves to their crafts and are really really talented. That’s not me.” I’ve been there, done this too. But I say, it’s not about calling yourself an artist, it’s about crediting yourself with your unique and constant creativity. About choosing a label you are happy with like Maker or Creative.

I started by calling myself an artist with a small “a”. As I said yes to creative projects, I began to see myself as more talented through the eyes of the other participants. And when I was introduced to the idea of calling myself an Uber-Creative, I knew I liked that definition way more than Artist. Read my thoughts about this in my post on Life as an Uber Creative.

It’s all about giving credibility and voice to your inner creative child. We have taken on the voice that says that creativity is unproductive and unnecessary. We all expect women to create children and homes and systems to raise them in. From the meals that we make to the ways that we parent our obstinate offspring, a woman’s world is perpetually creative.

So I invite you to see yourself in this new light of permitted creativity. We makers need to stick together and show off what we make. To be seen and to see what we may be capable of making too. Join me on Instagram, a fairly straightforward social media app, by posting a picture there, describing it in the description area, and typing #ourcreativeselves and @shalaghhogan there too to connect with us. This will be an amazing first step to acknowledging your creativity and joining a community of creatives.

Interested in reading my future ponderings on Creative Soul Living?

Enter your name into the subscription box in the sidebar to the right and subscribe to my biweekly posts via your emailbox.

Find me on Instagram to see my daily pictures,

friend me or like my page on Facebook.

Or come find me on Twitter or Pinterest too.

I am a community kinda person and am always practicing Intentional Intouchness.

I live for conversations.

And, as always, Thank you for your visit.

The Our Creative January Project Kicks Off

We are well into the “Our Creative January” project. Thought maybe it’s time to return home to my blog and begin a new year on this amazing creatives’ community foot. Such diversity, such enthusiasm, and such positivity.

I am co-hosting with Nina Spolar so we can continue to support a creative community together throughout the year. She’s focused on creativity’s positivity and raising the vibration of our world’s around us and I’m focusing on noticing and crediting ourselves with everything creative that we do daily.

All sorts of creativity and positivity has flooded the #ourcreativeselves hashtag, an original hashtag I made for the very first creative challenge. I feel like I wear a warm blanket of community when I see it all happening.

Here’s my first 9 pieces in a grid collage I made. And below is a gallery of them.

I have set an intention for this year to bring me JOY, my word of the year. And creating to connect is a huge source of joy for me. Like some people love bookclubs or swim teams, I like a creative team because supporting our individuality and our creativity makes us feel good.

Interested in reading my future ponderings on Creative Soul Living? Subscribe, via the subscription box in the sidebar, to my weekly posts via your emailbox.

Find me on Instagram to see my daily pictures,

friend me or like my page on Facebook.

Or come find me on Twitter or Pinterest too.

I am a community kinda person and am always practicing Intentional Intouchness.

I live for conversations.

And, as always, Thanks to you for your visit.

Finished My 100 Day Project for 2020 : collages 76 through 100

Well I’ve done it again. I’ve finished the 100 Day Project for the third year in a row. Each and every lovin’ day since Mid-March, I’ve shown up in my craftroom and created one tiny collage on a 2 x 4 card.

I believe that showing up for yourself creatively is so important for developing self-esteem and a healthy relationship with yourself. It can also help decrease anxieties.

If you want to see the previous 75 pieces…

Go here to see pieces 1 through 25…

(You can also catch all the posts from 2019’s 100 Days of Shalagh at the bottom of this post as well.)

Go here to see pieces 26 through 50…

Go here to see pieces 51 through 75…

I’m glad to have finished and always feel the need to replace this lovely habit with another. Considering doing ten minute fit fat sessions in my parlor. Going to put extra effort back into writing and the blog so 2021 will look different here.

And If you enjoyed what you read, subscribe, via the subscription box in the sidebar, to my thrice weekly posts via your emailbox. And visit me on Instagram to see my daily pictures, friend me or like my page on Facebook. Or come find me on Twitter or Pinterest too. I am always practicing Intentional Intouchness so chat at me please. I live for conversations.

And, as always, Thanks to you for your visit.

A Creativity Challenge For March ’20

I began my creative RE-awakening in October of 2015 when I joined a group online for a “Creativity Bootcamp” Challenge. I had become aware that my inner creative, aka inner child, was in need of some expression, or else. And what would follow was creative momentum and community that I have come to cherish.

I am about to host another creativity challenge for March ’20. Using the hashtag #OurCreativeMarch on Instagram (and Facebook), we’ll share what we create every day of March. Creating is a whole lotta fun when you do it in a group.

And when I say create, I mean any form of creating. Creativity can encompass decorating, painting, poetry, photography, cooking, or even just an interesting post to talk about the word prompt. Almost all of the prompts were offered up by the community that will be participating.

In case you need some inspiration for your creativity, review the five keys to flow below. And read my article Non-negotiable Creative Soul Living .

Five Keys To Flow

Ritual – Create a mood or environment that’s conducive to creativity

Solitude and Enough Time

Focus – Plan ahead of time what you’ll be doing specifically

You can’t command creativity – The cat under the bed will move further back if it doesn’t want to come out.

Trust and Welcome whatever comes forth/out

I thought to look into how I’d chronicled the challenges I’d been in and hosted and was surprised to see all of these. There were also Soul Selfie Challenges. 

Read about the First Creativity Bootcamp in October 2015 here and  here and here

Read about the second Creativity Bootcamp February ’16 here and here

Summer Madness Creativity Bootcamp session June ’16 here

My Our Creative September ’16 challenge here and here

Our Creative Selves Challenge Feb ’17 is here

See Our Creative May ’17 here and here and here .

And  Our Creative June ’18 here

And If you enjoyed what you read, subscribe, via the subscription box in the sidebar, to my thrice weekly posts via your emailbox. And visit me on Instagram to see my daily pictures, friend me or like my page on Facebook. Or come find me on Twitter or Pinterest too. I am always practicing Intentional Intouchness so chat at me please. I live for conversations.

And, as always, Thanks to you for your visit.