For The Love Of Art

Taiyaki décor in Osu, Nagoya

It's a shock sometimes to find that, as an adult, I can get bored. There will always be random, mandatory things to sit through, or slow days at work (though I'm always plotting ways to get away from the slow work lifestyle and do something that always excites me). This is where creativity comes in.

As children, we rarely tolerate boredom. When I was little, I often had to entertain myself because I had a busy mom and no siblings. I would invent games in my room by myself: playing school, making up an ice skating routine inspired by Michelle Kwan or Tara Lipinski, even going outside in the rain to belt made-up improvised songs. I didn't have the internet yet, but nowadays it is so easy to feel productive online, even when I'm not really doing anything.

In a recent bout of not-really-doing-anything, I came across this fascinating experiment called 40 Days of Dating. Two single artist friends in New York City (oh, how I love the creativity of everything you can find there) decide to commit to 40 days of a dating experiment with each other. They're publishing the days of their experiment on the website in the form of a daily questionnaire, bits and bobs of art — typography, video, gifs — and letting it play out. I feel incredibly invested in them after reading from Day 1 to Day 27, and I can't wait to continue following them.

Vintage shop in Osu, Nagoya

I am inspired by the emotional display of their public project, and it makes me want to do something of my own. In May 2013, my amazing coworkers and I back in San Francisco committed to creating something (almost) every day for that month. What ensued was an inspiring and beautiful collage of visual art, musical recordings, poetry, stories and various projects in between. It was a joyful and lovely period where I felt at my most creative, and I always lamented that it ended on May 31st.

In attempt to get myself out of the house and separate myself a bit from my bill-paying gig, I am embarking on a project to create at least one thing every day for a minimum of 31 days, using the few skills I have. Here are some of the things I can create:  blog posts about my Japanese experiences, written portraits of new people I meet, songs, poems, stories, sketches/drawings, responses to art, Japanese sentences, photographs, characters, games or mini-challenges. I anticipate posting some of my old creations too, like old poems or songs that need to see the light of day!

2013 Aug 16: I have added a page listing all my creative posts for my challenge! Check it out, enjoy, and please respond if a thought strikes you! :)