Personalized Project

I think it is important for artists to experiment and explore different ways of working without feeling pressured to produce a finished, museum quality work. I would add that artworks produced through "play" are just as valid as those works produced for exhibition. I recently adopted this approach in a self-imposed project that lasted from Dec 6 through January 6.

My goal was to complete a self-portrait everyday for 30 days. I allowed myself the opportunity to use any medium in any size. It had also been a while since I worked directly with dry media, so most of my images were drawings. Portraiture has always been a weakness of mine, so I felt that this project would afford me the opportunity to sharpen my skills in this area.

On the surface, the resulting images are terrible. Two examples can be seen below.

However, the value of these images is found not in the finished product, but rather in the process that created them. If you are looking for a new way of working, or just want to try something you have not done in a while, I recommend developing a project of your own.