(…or paint, crayon, watercolor, ball point pen, marker, lipstick, scrapbook paper, restaurant napkin… whatever is handy.)

My goal is to make one little piece of art every day for a year. Big or small, simple or detailed. 365 days of practice. What is it that keeps me out of my studio now? It is simply the rest of my life crowding in and convincing me that I don’t have the time. Ridiculous, but I always fall for it. And my life is not that complex. I DO have the time. You can tell what truly means something to someone by watching how and where he invests his time. And so, a twofold purpose to this 365 project…

The first: to see improvement in my work, improvement that only comes through practice and experience. I’m no artistic genius… even a small throw-away scribble can teach me something, and I’d rather try to be as good as I can be myself, than just continue to avoid knowing how limited I really am.

And the second: to develop and improve a positive state of mind and body, and develop consistent habits. Focusing on a small project can be so relaxing for me. It is nothing but healthy. And I think trying to undertake a big overall project with a commitment like this will help develop much needed strength and focus in other areas of my life as well, even if I am less successful at it than I hope to be.

I welcome constructive criticism and advice. Consider this an open forum, and please participate. And invite other people to follow… I don’t plan to chat, just to post my pictures and be held accountable. If I don’t post, ask me why!!