What a Hurdle Race and My 365 Project Have in Common

When you start a project, there are three hurdles you have to get over. The first hurdle is the initial leap, the test that convinces you this IS something you can do. The second: enduring what seems to be an endless middle, convincing you that this project is something worth finishing. Finally, the ultimate drive, allowing you to say that you finished something and to say it proudly.

 

 

Recently I made it to day 100 of my 365 project (in celebration I made some free desktop wallpapers for your phone or computer, which can be downloaded HERE).  Making it this far has felt a lot like I jumped that first hurdle. I leapt, and when I landed, I realized I was invested in this project. My 365 has now become something to fight for and battle through, not just another project to grow tired of and add to the pile of unfinished efforts. In looking back at what I have accomplished so far, it is incredibly gratifying to see both areas of improvement, and areas where I was able to be honest with myself about my changing passions.

First, my editing speed has increased dramatically, allowing me to now spend about a fifth of the time that I used to spend on each image. For someone who is as much of a perfectionist as I am, this is HUGE, saving me so much frustration that my endless hours in photoshop used to cause me.

 

 

Also, ideas seem to come to me now like an endless bubbling stream, guiding me steadfastly to new stories and tales. It is a wonderful feeling and although I sometimes worry that this stream will run dry, I try not to worry and just enjoy being in this moment of thriving creativity.

I have also found that, while studio lighting is still something I have a significant room for growth in, I have seen tremendous improvements over the last three and a half months in knowing about light placement and technique for creating the mood within my portraits. Studio lighting no longer seems even half as complicated as it did when I set out on this journey.

(Perhaps this means I can reward myself with better lighting equipment when this project finally wraps up? I think so!)

 

 

Finally, I learned to stop trying so hard in areas where I wasn’t finding tremendous amounts of joy, and transfer that energy to new techniques that did. I finally admitted to myself that I didn’t love photoshop as much as I used to and surprisingly I was ok with that.  I still love it, do not get me wrong, however, lately I have been making an effort to spend more time on my growing love for sewing and prop creation. I have even found that my talents for both have increased dramatically over the short period of time where I have allowed myself to explore these processes more. The less time I spend in photoshop, the happier I have found I am with the end result.
So, as a celebration for making it past my first hurdle, I decided to create some free wallpapers of some of my favorite images from my 365 so far, with the quotes that inspired these images. You can get them by signing up for my mailing list right here: