Monday, June 6, 2016

New Projects!


Remember when I said I was back to blogging? Hahahahaha. No really, though, I am back! I might not post as frequently as I used to, but I miss it so, so much. I love to look back at old posts, even the ones that are slightly embarrassing, and remember what we were doing, where we were living, and all the little odds and ends that make up daily life. It makes me sad to think I've missed half of the year already.

With that in mind, I've been thinking of ways to motivate myself to get my camera out more often and post here as well. Two challenges came to mind that I see on Instagram all the time: the 100 Day Project and Project 365. Is it crazy that I think I want to do both of them at the same time?

100 Day Project - I struggled to think of something I could make and complete daily for 100 days, and also something that I wouldn't get sick of quickly. I used to be the type of person who would keep reading a book I didn't like until the end, or stick with a job I hated, or whatever. But I have a whole different attitude about that now that I'm older and have realized my time is too precious to waste on things I don't enjoy, that don't add value to my life or to the lives of others. So I really thought long and hard about what would be worth the time commitment. And suddenly the answer was so obvious! I'm going to make a hand-drawn or hand-painted pocket notebook every day and list it for sale each day as well. That's a manageable amount of work to add to my load at the moment, and I love the idea of having something tangible to offer people. I also plan on taking requests for what to draw at different points in the project so that people can participate too!

Project 365 - I've actually already been doing this one for a little over a week; I'll share my first week's photos soon! I plan on taking at least one photo a day for an entire year. I probably won't skip days even if we move or travel, etc. I'm a little undecided as to whether to post every single photo here though. I'm currently working on a few things that aren't ready to share, and most of my family and friends don't want their photos public. It will be a challenge to find something unique to document each day, but I'm excited about that! I'm hoping it will inspire me to take a few minutes out of each day, notice my surroundings, be present, and find something interesting to "say" with my camera. I guess I'll just see how it goes...if people enjoy my photos, then I'll keep posting them each week.

I'm giving myself a little leeway with both projects in that it might not be 100 or 365 consecutive days. If I miss a few days here and there, it's not a big deal as long as I make them up. I think I will probably post the notebooks daily on Instagram with the hashtag #100pocketnotebooks and do weekly posts about the project here. I'm hoping to start posting them in a day or two (I've got a big order to finish up first).

I just want to say I've missed all of you who've been reading here over the years. I've had emails from a few folks wondering where I've been for the last few months, and I just want to say thank you so much! I'm happy to be back. :)

xo,
Mary

7 comments:

  1. I have missed seeing your posts and photos! I'm glad you are back, even if just a little at a time. I was just having this same conversation with a friend, literally minutes before reading this, saying I'd like to get back to my own blog. I just need to get the words out of my head, which seems like the hardest part! I'm loving that you're diving into projects that will be inspirational. I'm definitely going to read up more about them both.

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    1. You should do a 365, Kristen! Or maybe a 52-week project? I've seen lots of moms do one pic a week of each of their kids with maybe a one-sentence caption. I get that you might not want to put that on your blog, but as a personal project, it would be so great to look back on at the end of the year, right? :)

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  2. So great to have you back and I think both your projects sound amazing!

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  3. Hi Mary!
    Both of your projects sound like fun. I definitely don't take as many pictures as I used to and I miss that. All of the fresh ideas for notebooks will be great!

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    1. Thanks, Edi! I think it will be worth it at the end of the year when I get to look back through all the photos. :)

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  4. Your projects sound so fun!! Good to see you, looking forward to your always amazing pictures!!

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