Hey 🙂
Although I have not technically finished my daily veggie challenge, it is not daily anymore and I already gotten what I needed out of it… without specifically looking for it.
This challenge was meant to speak about the importance of fruit and veggies in our diet and also to speak about the environmental impact of a too high consumption of meat.
It was really a project with a cause.
What I did not expected was the change it would induce in my work and how I approach sculpting in general.
I have been sculpting miniatures since 2007, but made it an official job in 2009. So I already did sculpt on an almost daily basis. But with any other job, you tend to fall into a routine and sculpt not just for yourself but with the goal of selling your work.
The questions “will it sell?” and “how much am I going to sell this?” are so rooted in your everyday life, that you don’t realize how oppressive they are for your own creativity. At least I didn’t realize it.
Until the daily veggie challenge.
1. Time has no Monetary Value
I discovered the joy (again) to sculpt for the sake of sculpting. My only concern was how to fit the challenge in my life, as it was quite time consuming, but once I got into sculpting the vegetable or fruit I had decided to do, it was pure bliss. And I didn’t care if I would need 6 hours of caning to get the right kiwi cane or 2 hours to sculpt a single pineapple. Because I wasn’t planning on selling these anyway, so time and money were of no value.
2. Improved Skills
Improving your skills is vital when you work at home and alone, whatever you do. It is vital, as everyone else out there is getting better, so you can’t afford not to.
Being critical of what you do is key, re-doing everything as well.
But, as with any other job, routine can settle it, and quicker than you expected, you tend to do “things that sells” or “things that you do well”.
With a daily challenge however, you have to tackle scary things. For me it was leafy vegetables, strawberries and anything pointy.
I got better, I had to find new ways of doing certain shapes and best of all it was fun to learn all of these!
3. Limited Time to Make
I tend to be slightly on the perfectionist side.
That means I can re-do a single miniature a lot of times before I am happy. But with a daily challenge, you don’t have that luxury. In one day you can devote 3 hours at most for the challenge, as you still have to earn money otherwise, and if you end up doing something not so great, you have to let it go and accept that it’s not perfect.
That seems counter productive, but it’s actually a great way to improve. Often getting stuck on one project brings you nowhere, but finishing it and leaving it even though you are not 100% happy makes it possible for you to tackle other things and then, eventually come back with better ideas and solutions for the shape you couldn’t get quite right.
4. Find the Fun in Art
Making this daily challenge and pushing yourself to your own limit also pushes you to re-consider your life as a whole. What is working for you, what isn’t?
Yes the challenge pushed me directly into a burn-out, but it is also the same challenge that kept me sane and built me back up during that particular burn-out.
Because when I decided it was all too much, I didn’t stop what I like best, which was sculpting fruit and veggies on a daily basis. No, I stopped sculpting all the “things that sell” for a while.
And even though I know I need to also sculpt and produce sellable items to be able to live, pay food and my loan, I also know I need to make space for the daft ideas and projects that bring no money in (or let’s say rarely) but that make me happy.
5. Inspire Others
And this is probably the most important I learned this year, the ability to inspire others to change and to take things in their hands. To have a message to convey other than “oh that’s pretty”.
Don’t get me wrong, creating beauty is a wonderful thing and I very much enjoy adding touches of colorful happiness in the world, but adding a message to it?
Taking the risk to not be loved by everyone because you are taking position and talking about your personal view of the world?
It is exhilarating. (and also scary!)
If you are at a place where you wonder about a daily or weekly challenge. Do it. You have no idea what this will bring to you, but I know.
It will free you and open a road of exciting possibilities.
And that is what life is all about.
Let me know if you have made a daily or weekly challenge and what it brought to you, I’d love to read it!
xx
Stéphanie
21 thoughts on “What I Learned Doing A Daily Sculpting Challenge”
I am not good at keeping up with daily challenges…as my mind wanders too quickly to other things. But maybe I’ll try a weekly one…if I can find something…maybe I do need that kind of focus. Thanks for this post.
Great conclusions… I would never have thought that a daily challenge would be so fruitful!!!
Fruitful ??
hahaha, indeed 😀 😀
I do the yearly good intentions thing, but this year have not made it.. daily seems more achievable because it has to be done now, and cannot be delayed. Maybe I should plan a weekly, but… (there’s always one, isn’t there) 🙂
And I noticed that when you stick your neck out and leave your comfort zone, and stop trying to please everyone you’ll get more interesting discussions, and as long as both sides are open to this, also more fruitful discussions. Worth much more than just ooohh and aaahhh..
Many daily challenges are perfectly doable. Sculpting is not one of them. It would take at least 2 hours of daily work, between the sculpting, baking, photographing, post-editing and posting.
But daily sketches, or daily photos that’s easier.
Then you also have all the “health” challenges, like “daily walking”, or “daily (insert healthy food) eating” and so on.
Daily anything will change your life, and it’s easier if you do it daily, as the routine kicks in faster 🙂
Great conclusions to show people how to prove and improve themselves. You have made such a wonderful project! Congrats Steph!!
Ever since I started my own weekly challenge (daily challenges wouldn’t be possible with my day job), I have learnt a lot myself too. Especially point 3. I’ve never redone a single drawing for my challenge (yet), which means there are weeks where I deliver a drawing with flaws, wrong compositions or bad coloring. And that’s fine. Because I learn more from these than I do from redoing pieces until they’re right before sharing anything of it.
A point I might add to the list: interaction with followers/motivation from followers. I’ve been getting suggestions for animals to draw and I’ve had followers getting excited for a new drawing or to see a certain animal. And this is such a motivation to keep going!
As for point 5: I’ve learnt a lot from your challenge too. I’ve been very inspired by what you do and that’s an amazing thing to achieve!!
To finish this way too long post, I never expected a challenge would have an impact on me or on my art. But it did!
Thank you for sharing! 🙂
I really admire your endurance! And it seems to have paid off!
And I can only agree with 5- you inspire me over and over again!
Lovely
Very interesting point of view…I read you very well..and I completely agree with going on with projects even if the result isn’t exactly what you had in mind and there are imperfections and flaws that probably only you who made the object can see
Looking eagarly forward to reading your next post 🙂
I am so happy to read how the challenge positively gave you new views on a lot of things, your post is full of positive vibes and that is wonderful to read, I am very happy for you 🙂
I believe that good usually comes from all challenges, big or small. And lovely to read that so many positive things came from your daily challenge!
Thanks for sharing your experiences with the challenge! I’m sure you have more than 5 things you learned 🙂
Steph- I must admit you are an inspiration for me! Not only with your daily challenge and I’m sure I’m not the only one thinking the same 🙂
I also enjoy a daily challenge but unfortunately I don’t find the time anymore! Meanwhile I am already thinking to adding a weekly one to the current one :)))
Be careful though, you tend to work a wee bit too much 🙂
And I’m glad to be an inspiration to you ^^
Steph your challenge is really great! Wish I can do smtg the same.
Thanks, I desperately needed to read this. You have such a beautiful, gentle way of expressing your wold view. I’m really struggling to get out of bed, and rarely leave my house most of the week, and yet I’m still managing to make a living as a freelance illustrator. If things continue as they are, however, work will inevitably dry up.
I feel frozen most days, unable to do anything at all, because I feel like I should be doing professional work that I don’t want to do. Basic tasks like invoicing take me months to complete.
I think I need to restructure my priorities and just dedicate a moment of each day to creating for the love of it. Nothing else is working, and reading this makes me realize that I need to re-discover joy and satisfaction in the act of ‘making’. Willing myself to be different has done nothing but heap the guilt on.
Hello Amy!
You seem to be close to a burn-out, and might even be in the middle of it.
If you can take a few weeks off, I’d encourage you to do that. You might even want to go see a psychologist/psychiatrist (I never know how they’re called) to talk it out.
And yes, please dive into fun creation and take your WE off. (or any other day that work best, I know Sunday is the day I work the most, but Monday is usually lazy)
Get rid of that guilt by consciously reminding you there’s nothing to be guilty about. Life is not just about work. You are tired, you need some fun, that’s ok.
And maybe start an easy daily challenge, you seem to draw, so make it a daily drawing challenge. I talked to an artist once who told me he would draw everyday a flower in a pot. So the pot would always be the same, and the flower would be whatever he’d fancy that day, sometimes realistic, sometimes abstract.
I think something daily will be best for you to get you back on tracks.
And if you ever need to chat it out, you can send me an e-mail.
merci