Pushing Past the Fear Factor

There aren't many things I do every single day. I brush my teeth. Read. Look out the window. Eat. Move my feet. Say "I love you." Tap on my keyboard (though not necessarily in this order).  And while caffeine consumption does make the list each day, things like showering, vacuuming and staying properly hydrated do not. So when the idea of Project 365 entered my periphery, my first instinct was to let it blur into oblivion.

Project 365 is a flickr group of nearly four thousand members who shoot and share one photo every single day, consecutively for 365 days. Eek. How could someone commit to this, I thought.

Well, Danisoul did and her inspiring Project 365 flickr set intrigued me enough to bring the project  and my fear of commitment into focus. Do I really need another something to do each day? No. Not really. Well. Maybe. Will it improve my photography skills? Probably. Might it push me to carry my camera with me more places? Yes, I suppose it would. Would I discover inspiring photographers and bask in new perspectives? Well, yes. What if I want to stop? Hmmm. Could I push myself through lapses in creativity and find something beautiful each day? I wasn't sure, but made an assumption.

So I've been shooting photos every day for 103 days, contributing to the Project 365 flickr pool and building a set of images to serve as a visual landscape of one year in time.  I'm loving this project and the much needed discipline and challenge it's brought to my creative process. It's opened my eyes in many ways.

What about you? Do you take photos everyday?  Are you participating in Project 365? Inspired to start "day one" today? Do share a link to your flickr set or blog in the comments so we can follow you.

Comments

[leah]

i've thought about this project bunches of times, but always end up overwhelmed at the idea. . . kudos to you for sticking with it.

[leah]

stopping back to say i love your set, stephanie. . .

[stacelet]

I've been doing the project 365 for 107 days today and I too love it. It was daunting to begin, but it's been worth it...

I find that sometimes my photos are chores, hastily snapped at the end of the day, but mostly they are surprises that I found or subjects that I planned, new things that I saw - or old things I saw in new ways - and I have found it a wonderful addition to my days.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/stacelet/sets/72157603611475716/

[daniela]

wow stephanie....what a wonderful surprise to be mentioned in your beautifully written piece. you articulate so well how i too feel about the project. if it weren't for the commitment to a photo a day, i'm sure i would neglect my camera for long periods, and fall away from everything i have been organically discovering through this process. not just the skills of learning how to photograph, but what it means to engage my creativity each day, whether the result is one to be proud of .... or not. indeed eye opening, as you said. thank you for the invite to this group; i am honored to be in the company of so many amazing women.

[Tammy]

While I've not joined this group officially, I am definitely taking a photo a day! I added up how many I've taken since November the other day. . . over 1500! I try to choose one each day that stands out and characterizes the day.

[Marcie]

Altho not a part of the official flickr group, I took on my own personal 'Project 365'. Going out every day with my camera has not only been an exercise in consistency and daily practice, but has also taught me to see things in ways I never saw them before.

Today will be my 350th post..and I have no intention of ever ending this project at post number 366 (1 extra for the leap year).

http://www.marciescudder.blogspot.com

[patricia]

i've been wanting to do this for a long time but i'm currently immersing myself in the lo-fi movement, back to film photography instead of digital. i know it's still feasible - one 36-shots film roll per month will do just about it. i just need to decide when to start. :)

[Shelli]

I looked at your set of images and they are all lovely! What a great project. There's no way I could do this right now while I'm taking care of my little boy, and all the daily chores I have, but what a great way to force one into their creative mind each day! Not a bad thing at all! I do, however, take a lot of photos when I can, and I write everyday, which is my number one priority.

[Maggie]

I decided to do Project 365, although I post a week of images at a time rather than one each day. It has definitely been both harder and easier than I thought it would be!

[Andie]

I've started with baby steps...30 pictures in 30 days for the month of April. This is what I have so far:

http://flickr.com/photos/21551925@N05/2412684919/

Remembering to bring the camera with me is a biggie. Although I love making time each day to find something to photograph.

[Marcene]

I started the project to help me use my camera better. I found it was really hard at first to find something good out of what I had taken at the end of the day. But soon I found that I was trying harder to compose and create pictures rather than just taking pictures. I still have bad days but mostly I see an improvement. Here's my set.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/21008348@N03/sets/72157603817951459/

[Jenny Rebecca]

Heh - I joined that Flickr group and got off track after posting only two pictures! Maybe it's time to start back up again. http://www.flickr.com/photos/fanglord2/2159230070/in/set-72157603614313465/

[Lisl Sukachevin]

I started my project 366 on Jan. 1 this year and love it! I take lots of photos anyways, so it's not a chore, but it still pushes me to capture the one image that best illustrates my day. I struggled between trying to capture something abstract and artistic (like project 3191 http://3191.visualblogging.com/), or an image that would remind me of what we did that day. While I love the abstract, I decided I would most cherish a visual snippet of our day. Here's my set: http://www.flickr.com/photos/73718243@N00/sets/72157603669981229/

[kris]

I learned about project 365 after I started a similar project. My husband and I are waiting for our adopted child. While we wait, I take a photo each day. A different type of gestation... Today is day 77.

http://lkpage.blogspot.com/2008/04/how-to-wait.html

[jenn]

I was challenged to do a 365 type project by a friend in May 2006. I lapsed a bit in late 2007 but took it up again last January. I haven't managed to take a picture everyday but its been pretty close. I really like how it has both helped to improve my photography as well as been a reminder to fit a bit of creativity into my day no matter how busy I am.

my May 2006 - Dec 2007 set:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/jennemmer/sets/72057594138837426/
my 2008 set:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/jennemmer/sets/72157603674165413/

[Lu]

I do participate in the 365days of self portraits. It is not easy, but it is very cool to look back at all the images and trying to come up with something new.

[Lawyer Mama]

I take photos *almost* every day & I carry my camera everywhere, even to work. But...I'm too chicken to join the Flickr group & commit to it. I just remember doing NaBloPoMo & that nearly killed me. I know one photo isn't as grueling as a blog post a day but....

[Mary]

I have been working on a year long photo project of my daughter. I call it the 5 year photo project. When one of my children turns 5, I start taking photos of them everyday until they turn 6. I am almost done with my second child Phoebe http://www.flickr.com/photos/organize/?start_tab=one_set72157600173101635, who turns six on May 2nd.

This project is wonderful and gratifying and it is so stunning to see the transformation that takes place right in front of your eyes.

Having Flickr organize the photos into a set and adding to them every few days has been a life saver. The day after she turns six I can upload the photos to www.blurb.com and just make her a book.

[mary]

Here is the right link to PJ's 5 year photo project.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/sellke/sets/72157600173101635/

[Leigh]

I started the Project 365 challenge on January first in the hope that it would make me a better photographer (I call it Project 366, though, because it's a leap year!) I've enjoyed doing this-- I feel like it's given me permission to take a photo everyday and that I don't need to apologize for it. I don't belong to Flicker, so I post on my blog, every Tuesday, my photos of the week: http://leighpenner.blogspot.com/

[Jenna Nelson]

As fate would have it, I got my new camera right at the beginning of the New Year. I've been doing Project 366 and love it. It's made me get my camera out every single day and get acqauinted with it. It's become so natural to me now- to think about taking pictures every single day. Maybe even an addiction, but a healthy one :)

[heidi]

I had been thinking about it for a while, but this post inspired me to begin my own Project 365. Wish me luck!

http://flickr.com/photos/hstender/sets/72157604544870995/

[Michelle Potter]

I did a month long version of this last year:

http://gallery.usr-bin-mom.com/v/2007/Photo+A+Day/

I am planning to join Project 365, but since I missed Jan 1st I am waiting to start on my birthday (April 24th).

[Lyn]

Ali Edwards inspired me to try a Project 365 this year, and I'm having such a blast with it (though I often find myself unable to keep to just one photo a day!) And a fun thing, I'm finding, is after a month or so, to look back at the blog (where I'm posting the pics) to remind myself of the photos and moments! A great thing in a busy life!

http://lynlepre.typepad.com

[nyjlm]

I started a 365 on Jan 1 this year. I faltered a bit last month due to international travel combined with sickness and missed four days. bah!

I can't seem to get myself totally together to use flickr more and haven't used participated in any of the 365 groups there. I'm posting my images at http://nyjlm.365.blogspot.com My original motivation was to get myself to learn fstops and shutter speeds. It has given me so much more though- discipline in taking the camera with me every day, noticing small moments and small things to capture, celebrating the wonder of the world.

[Monica]

I love the way the whole set looks together. Amazing! Totally inspiring!

[W. Lotus]

I try to make photos every day, because it gives me joy to look at the world through a viewfinder. I haven't joined a Photo 365 project, though, because I would end up beating up on myself for missing a day here and there. :-) I do that enough with my photoblog, which I intend to update every day!

[abbey]

I do! I do!
I am making a book out of it when I am done.
http://www.photoblog.com/abbeyh13/

[Mel]

have always wanted to do a 365 project but i am too intimated...and afaid to commit! But after reading your post, I'm inspired to maybe -- just maybe -- actually try it. Thanks!

[Robyn]

Inspired to restart project 365 plus one this year after last years attempt petered out at the three month mark.It's been an amazing thing to do - I look at my world in a completely different way. It pushed me into starting a blog so that I would have somewhere to "put" the photos and added a paragraph of commentary. The writing has had an extraordinary effect - it's as if the photo has opened a door and stuff I didn't know was there comes flying out.

My fear has kept my blog to myself but I am rising to your challenge to push beyond it: www.korechronicles.wordpress.com

[cloudscome]

This is my second year in Project 365 and I love it. Now I am off to follow all your links and see what everyone else here is doing...

[Rachel]

I do Project 365, it does take a lot of commitment and I've missed several days, but I'm really just doing it to keep myself moving when I don't feel motivated.