Art-A-Day Month
February 2024
What: A new, fun and informal project to foster creativity and personal joy through the process of making art every day for the month of February. There’s an optional final gathering at Dog River Coffee (411 Oak Street, Hood River) on February 29th from 5 -7pm to share our creations and celebrate together.
Who: Open to anyone who would like to participate. There is no need to call yourself an artist. The intention is to bring more creativity into our lives, not to bring any sense of pressure. Art is loosely defined here, meaning anything creative, whether it be painting, drawing, knitting, sewing, cooking, decorating, writing, sculpture, choreography, collage, photography, pottery, jewelry-making, etc…
Why: Researchers have found that people are happier and energized when they are engaged in everyday creative endeavors, and that being in a positive mood goes hand in hand with creative thinking (source). The project is also in defiance of perfectionism which is shown to lead to depression (source).
Guidelines: The invitation is to create something each day. What you do each day could add up to something greater at the end of the month, like painting a part of a picture that is completed by the end of the month OR you could choose to have a distinct project each day that winds up being a collection at the end. For example, you could write a line of poetry each day that describes the sky. At the end of the month, you would have a collection of lines of poetry.
Sharing: Feel free to share your creations via social media throughout the month @GorgeHappiness. We share with the intention to uplift and encourage others to participate in the joy of the creative process. We will also have a end-of-month party at Dog River Coffee (411 Oak Street, Hood River) on February 29 from 5 -7pm where you have the option of sharing your art from the month. Or come see what others have done to get inspiration.
Examples:
Some more examples that folks can do for the month include:
- Writing a poem a day
- Doing a sketch or doodle a day
- Writing a postcard a day
- Making a small collage each day
- Describing the sky each day
- Knitting part of a scarf each day
- Adding to a painting each day