Last year I gave myself a project. 30 Days of creating something I wanted to throwaway (or recycle - they all turned out to be on paper and I try to be as ecofriendly as possible)
I didn’t have a clear objective and I wasn’t sure what I’d learn from it, but it ended up being one of the most profound projects I’ve done.
And I love a good project. A start, a finish, and flexible rules in between. A dedicated time to focus. I’ve done several 100 day projects, a year long “make a day” project and many others. A good project lights me up and I always want to bring others along with me.
So here’s my invitation to you, to join me for the next 30 Day Throwaway Art project. I’m starting on Aug. 1st. You’re welcome to start before that, or after. I’ll host the first call on Aug. 8th. You can share your experience, ask questions, or just listen to what others might like to share. I’ll host a last call on Aug. 30. If there is interest, I may have another call or two in between for support/check in.
Join my email newsletter if you want the join in the calls - or email me and I'll get you on the list - beth@bethcyr.com
The “rules”:
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Make something every day with the intention that you will not keep it. It can take 30 seconds or you can work on it all day.
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When you’re done with it, either recycle it, throw it away, delete, burn it, bury it, paint over it, whatever you feel called to do.
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It could be a drawing or a painting, it could be a song, a poem, a short story, something crafted from sticks/leaves/other natural materials, maybe knitting or crochet, a wood carving, collage, a jewelry piece that gets dismantled. Anything. It doesn’t have to be the same method every day, and it can be. I highly recommend at least one day being crayons on plain paper.
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Notice how it feels. Does it feel cringy, freeing, embarrassing, challenging, joyful? Does it make you laugh or cry?
- You can document if you want to, especially if wanting to process the experience overall - I did take photos of some pieces simply as a reminder of what I did when. (My 50k+ photos are like an external memory/timeline for me) and...
- You can make up your own rules!!! I love rules that are flexible. This is your project and you can do it however you want. Because this is a unique way of working that is not something I have ever encountered, I do highly encourage you at least give it a go as I have outlined it. I would say, especially if it feels a little edgy - what is beyond that edge? And also, you get to choose what is right for you.
The point (for me) is not to practice or experiment. I do those things a lot and this project is moving beyond that. It is to end up with something I don’t want to share, I don’t want to sell, I don’t think is “good”. I’m not trying to learn anything about the material, learn a new technique or style. It isn’t going to be kept for later to be redone or referenced.
There is no purpose other than pure creation. Maybe from the point of view of the small child self that existed before there was even a concept of something being judged as good enough. An exploration of the physical experience of making something from a part of you that lives outside of the view of others, that isn’t meant to be shared, critiqued, or praised. And if possible, exists beyond the internal judge that desires for something to be good or even sellable.
A few things I discovered when doing this project the first time:
If caught myself thinking something was good and maybe I should keep it - I kept going, added colors I didn’t like, added a new layer on top of something dissonant.
I drew, colored, painted on the backs of the previous day to really make sure I didn’t keep anything (this did kind of go beyond the recycling every day, but what I did was actually pull things out of the recycling to reuse the back of the paper to not waste paper!)
I picked materials, like crayons, that I don’t normally work with so there was less chance I would want to keep it for a base layer of a drawing, or do something else with it.
I didn’t plan anything ahead of time. I used nice paper and I used scrap paper. I didn’t buy anything.
It detangled parts of me that would hold back when working on a piece I planned to sell.
I found different edges of pushing beyond, of trusting that whatever came out of me was worthy of being released.
The internal judge or critic got to take a vacation and that was so nice. Especially that part of me that judges if I like something or not.
I didn’t try to maintain any kind of style or voice or anything cohesive. Nothing needed to stay on topic. Wow, that felt so good.
Over time there was relief in the simple act of creating with the intention I wasn’t going to keep it. I’ve spent more than 20 years intentionally selling the things I’ve made. For most people that I know who are some sort of creative, professional or not, even the act of “play” is to benefit a final product that is meant to be good enough to share or sell. Like getting new paints and playing around with them to see how they work on different kinds of paper or layered with other media.
