Last week on Art With a Needle

Vivien left a comment on my post about daily art:  I've always wanted to do a daily art project, but I feel I don't have enough control of my day-to-day to commit to it.  Then again, I guess that speaks to the "rules" of the project; how might I define my daily project and what are my objectives.  Interesting to read your thoughts on the matter.

And do I have some thoughts!  You're right, it all has to do with the rules.  You should set rules that work with your day-to-day.  If you travel a lot, don't commit to work on the sewing machine every day.  If you have to work on your breakfast table, don't choose something that has to be laid out to dry overnight. 

If you have limited time, as Vivien alludes to, don't choose a daily task that will take an hour.  But how long can it take to make one photograph, or draw in a small sketchbook like this:

or onto a small card like this:

or make something tiny like this, which is my favorite miniature of the week:

Although it's often fun to use your daily art project as a way to try out new materials and new tools, that takes time.  If you're feeling stressed, much better to have a half-dozen pens or pencils in a little packet that you can reach for every day than to have scores of them, each in its own storage place.  Better to use a self-contained pen than dip into a bottle of ink, risk spillage onto your worktable, and have to clean the pen afterwards.  Or at least work this week with this pen and this bottle of ink, and switch out next week instead of finding new tools every day.

everything at hand -- keep the pack next to your sketchbook (yes, it's the toothbrush pack you get at the dentist)

So Vivien, I'd be interested to hear your thoughts -- can you try 30 days of a low-commitment daily art project and see how it works?  Let us know.