December was a difficult month, the approaching finish line made me want to create my best work each day, but the pressure was getting to me. I was extremely busy with my day job and trying to balance freelance work and the blog at night. Though it was a challenge, I stayed dedicated to my goal and created a design every day.
I am very pleased with the variety of work I produced throughout the year. I tried new things and put things out there that I typically would have been ashamed to show, I started to work faster and take more risks, but most importantly it was an amazing experience in which I learned many valuable lessons.
December 1: A chalkboard doodle following the pattern I established yesterday.
December 2: Sneak peek of a new experimental project in the works.
December 3: …this is happening. I can not wait to see the results.
December 4: The result of yesterday’s freezing. The hardest part was selecting which photos to show, there were so many interesting textures and compositions.
December 5: My spicy experiment melting. I wanted to photograph it melting in the morning light before I went to work, so I dragged my white drafting table into the living room, where I tried to expedite the process by pouring warm water over the ice. I could not quite get the table level, thus I made a watery mess.
December 6: I have a terrible stomach virus and not much energy to make something new, so I took another look through my photos from yesterday and zoomed into to create some new compositions.
December 7: An idea for a new project, still using water as the basis, but adding some color in.
December 8: I froze yesterday’s experiment. As it froze, I gradually added more color and eventually added a whole new layer of water on top of the already frozen layer. I believe this technique lead to the pockets of color frozen within, which revealed themselves as it melted. Not entirely sure where I am going with this yet, but I am curious to see where it will lead.
December 9: I spent some time this morning thinking about my blue experiment and thought that some fish would accompany it well. I planned to fill up this whole page, but these fish were pretty time consuming.
December 10: More fish doodles! I like the deep sea angler best because it’s weird looking.
December 11: Fish skeleton in the works.
December 12: Finished my sketchy fish skeleton. This guy was very difficult because of all the little details, but the process was enjoyable.
December 13: I went to Sunda New Asian for my company holiday party this afternoon and it started me thinking about turning my fish drawings into an identity system. I complied a mood board which shows elements that I would like to include, colors, font etc.
December 14: Went to the Field Museum and nerded out over some skeletons and history.
December 15: I wanted to do something with gold paint, but was somewhat stumped today. I am feeling tied to the fish and skeletons concept I have been working on, especially after yesterdays trip to the museum, but today was just one of those days where I felt like I couldn’t bring it together.
December 16: Ditched the fish and went right for the gold. Picked up some new paints and pens and am going to see where this takes me.
December 17: Drawing over yesterday’s painting with pens. My scanner is yet again doing these no justice, this is more metallic in real life, but you can get the idea.
December 18: I want to really build up the layers with these. I plan to lay the paint on thick and then go back in with pen tomorrow once it’s dry.
December 19: More layers, more antics! Adding some pen and ink on top of the paint.
December 20: Today I took The Leap. I left what I knew to pursue the unknown. I realized I was traveling down a path, headed in the wrong direction. I moved to Chicago to pursue my dreams, so that is what I will do.
December 21: Some very light pencil sketches. Things I learned: I cannot write in cursive anymore.
December 22: Working on a little watercolor for my mom’s birthday.
December 23: The final painting, framed and in place at my parents house. Happy belated birthday Mom!
December 24: Established a color palette and design scheme for my holiday gifts. I am noticing a lot of design elements that I have used recently; guess I branded my presents this year.
December 25: Paper letters made their way into the tree. Happy Holidays everyone!
December 26: Today was a great day. I drove along the south shore, visited some of my favorite spots, cooked a strange meal and had many laughs in the company of good friends.
December 27: Found some very cool old magazines and newspapers in a little shop in downtown Plymouth called Yankee Book & Art Gallery; a beautiful shop with creaky hardwood floors and shelves stuffed with books.
December 28: I picked up some random foliage along recent walks in this warm winter weather and decided I wanted to photograph them. Not really sure where I am going with this, but I like how these look.
December 29: With only a few days left until Significant Nonsense’s one year anniversary I thought I should get movin’ on a concept for the finale post.
December 30: Still need some cursive practice, but I like where this is heading.
December 31: Today I embarked on a final Significant Nonsense mission, I have done some crazy things over this last year for the blog. I’ve been cookin’ up this idea where I would write out ‘365’ in sparklers and ignite it at midnight, so I rented a Zipcar and drove to Indiana in the snow to procure the sparklers (dragging my roommate along as usual). However, when I got home I sadly discovered that most were duds. Though I was disappointed that my plan was altered, it speaks to my experiences with this project.
I went into each day with an open mind; some days I had an idea, others I had none. I never really knew where I was going to land by the end of the day, but I pushed myself all 365 days to create something and once posted, I was always pleased. It was a very challenging project, but I learned a lot along the way and as I look back at the body of work, I am proud. I have big plans for the year 2014; change and exciting new things lay ahead. Thank you to all who helped and supported me along this journey. Happy New Year!