Just Do Something

A wise old man once said, "It's easy to sit there and say you'd like to have more money. And I guess that's what I like about it. It's easy. Just sitting there, rocking back and forth, wanting that money."

Actually, that was Jack Handey, purveyor of circa 1990s "Deep Thoughts" from "Saturday Night Live." Handey’s faux words of wisdom may have been made in mock, but it doesn’t make them any less true. Accordingly, that same sentiment applies when it comes to saying you want to produce creative art. Sure, it’s easy to just sit there, thinking you will be the next great artist. The hard part is actually doing it – or at least attempting to do it.

For those who need a little motivation or a nudge in the "do" department, Richmond artist and designer Noah Scalin has created "365: A Daily Creativity Journal: Make Something Every Day and Change Your Life!" (Voyageur Press) to help you get on your way.

This hybrid journal-slash-action plan is filled with "prompts" designed to help you – the artistic amateur and professional – do the hard part: squeeze the creative juices from your brain and turn them into objects d’art. It contains 365 ways to jumpstart your creativity, as well as instructional how-to’s and other advice and insight into the creative process from those who’ve been there and have something to show for their work.

You may know Scalin from his renowned Skull-A-Day art project, in which he made a skull a day for year out of everything from syringes and ceramic tiles to wilted cabbage and a frosted cake. The project garnered a slew of accolades that included a 2008 Webby Award and an appearance on "The Martha Stewart Show." "365: A Daily Creativity Journal," an outpouring of what Scalin learned from that experience in the form of creative "prompts," is designed to get you out of your comfort zone, expand your horizons and at the very least do "something" – anything – creative! In his guidebook, Scalin offers such tips that seemingly hog-tie your creativity, but in actuality free up another part of your brain and challenge you think harder and smarter about your particular project.

"Make something out of paper, but don’t use scissors or glue or draw on it. What now?" is one creative prompt. Another challenges the reader to "Open a random drawer where you live or work and create something with just its contents." "365: A Daily Creativity Journal" is "really meant to be that thing that hopefully pushes you over the edge," said Scalin. "More than anything these projects are really about taking the first step and actually taking action," he added.

Scalin has been sharing the daily projects that his readers have been making on his companion blog, makesomething365.blogspot.com, and he says he’s amazed by how many different ways others have used his model of creativity. Those who can get some use of out his journal are not limited to just artists, graphic designers, and craft-makers though. Writers and other creative types can use it too. "One guy just wrote me about how he made a promise to himself to run three miles a day for a year, which isn’t a particularly creative project and yet he still got a lot of really funny interesting experiences out of it," Scalin said.

Here, Scalin shares his top three tips other creative types can use to when attempting a project-a-day experience like his.

1. Choose subject matter that interests you. "Pick something that you like because you’re going to spend a lot of time doing it. You’re going to get better at whatever it is because you are practicing daily."

2. Be flexible. "You never know where this will go. Let it direct you a bit. If you are very rigid, you may find yourself frustrated," he said. "This should be fun. I mean, there is stress involved. There is work involved. But the ultimate thing is to have more fun every day that will lead to better things in your life."

3. Share your work. "I’ve had all these amazing experiences because I shared my work, and, I got an audience that kept me going and kept me inspired. And really, I felt an obligation to them to finish the project. So I gained a ton by sharing my work."

Jennifer Pullinger is a freelance writer and publicist in Richmond, Va. Visit her at www.jenniferlpullinger.com.