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By now, most of you have at least heard about Project 365, and a lot of you have probably attempted one yourself.
I took on my first Project 365 (Dana Does Digital) in 2010. I made it through the year, taking (and usually posting) a picture a day. It was, at times, more painful than accidentally chewing on a piece of aluminum foil.
I vowed to never do one again ...
Until 2012.
Suddenly, it seemed like a good idea (I'm guessing this is a similar phenomena to the one that allows people to have more than one child).
41 days into the 2012 project, I quit.
There were several reasons why I quit, but it really boiled down to setting unrealistic expectations (for myself and the project) and feeling like a failure when I didn't meet those expectations.
I'd rather quit than fail to meet my unreasonable expectations.
What's that you say? That attitude is a little self-defeating??
Yeah ... well ...
I really do like the Project 365 premise, but how do I get past the must-take-one-excellent-photo-each-day-and-post-it-that-same-day-with-some-witty-banter-attached-or-I-am-a-failure mentality?
I set
1. I will remind myself that for me, this endeavor is less about the quality of the photos and more about the memories. It's just another means of documenting a period of my life, and I give myself permission to post crappy, unedited photos.
2. I will not start my Project 365 on January 1st. I hate New Year's resolutions almost as much as I hate Jell-O, yet for some reason I decide it's a good idea to start my Project 365 on January 1st? Pffffttttt! I'll start when I want to (I am such a rebel).
3. I will take at least one photo every day, but I will give myself permission to miss a day (or several) of posting a picture to the Dana Does Digital blog, catching up when I can. I will not invite needless guilt into my life by beating myself up over it "not really counting as a Project 365 blog" if I don't post to the blog daily (and yes, this was the the single issue that contributed most to my decision to quit this year after only 41 days).
4. I will use technology to my advantage. I have installed 365 Photo App on my phone and will use it, without fear of judgement, to capture moments in time. I will approach this project as an artist (in the loose, artsy-fartsy sense) rather than as an aspiring photographer, using all imaging resources available to me.
I think I've really limited my success with this project by setting cumbersome and arbitrary rules for what Project 365 should or should not be.
Some might say the practice of setting cumbersome and arbitrary rules of what should or should not be has crept into more than just my Project 365 life.
Maybe there is a lesson here *smirk*
I'll let you know when I start the project again.
3 comments:
My blog is still called "Project 365" and beginning this fall, I have missed many days.
I have the photos for the missing days on the blog. I just haven't done the postings. I probably won't "catch up" on the web but will include them when I make my annual Blurb book of the pictures and posts.
And that's good enough for me. :)
I was thinking of doing that next year. I think you talked me out of it.
You realize that the pics you post don't have to be the most mind-blowing picture you can manage.. Sometimes the most profound pictures I have viewed have been of something simple taken into a context that you have no control over.. My own memories.
Take a few pictures, pick one, and post it. The enjoyment over the photos will eventually come from those who can make a connection to the pictures you have posted. Granted, it's nice to have personal attachment to the photos you post, but some artists have openly stated that ones they felt were beneath their style or quality were the ones that their viewers appreciated the most.
Just some food for thought!
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