The 100 Day Project: A Midpoint Review

Today marks Day 53 of the 100 Day Project. After a miserable May day in not-so-sunny Sunderland, I thought this was the ideal moment to check in and report all of the exciting highs and mundane lows of my creative journey so far. For those of who you don't know, the 100 Day Project is a challenge popularised on Instagram where a person practises their passion and posts about it for one hundred consecutive days. So, let's dive in.

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I set off on my artistic endeavour with the goal to experiment more with styles. I had a plan to commit to weekly themes but that idea quickly flew out of the window. Aside from appealing to my followers, not much happened with my posts until Day 7. Comic actor Seth Rogen liked my illustration of him which blew my mind, much like the smoke ring I had just drawn. Picture this: it's breakfast, LA time, Seth scrolls through his notifications and takes the time to interact with my artwork because I'm pretty sure that's what happened. Then, NY Times best-selling cartoonist Ed Piksor also liked my sketch of Seth and another one of Margot Robbie shortly afterwards. On top of that, actress Madeline Brewer approved my portrait of her, as did The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star Erika Jayne two days later. Bearing in mind, this all happened within the first two weeks; I had started with a bang.

As the days rolled into weeks, the novelty started wearing thin. My commission work was stacking up, my personal life was getting busier and I was struggling to make any time for the 100 Day Project. By Day 20, I was seriously considering calling time of death on the whole thing. By starting this project, I had put myself under a lot of unnecessary pressure. With most days ending in severe eye strain, I wasn't putting down the pencil until 9 or 10PM; instead working tirelessly to create the daily portrait on top of a regular workload. Some days meant resorting to posting my commission pieces to substitute the extra sketches. After all, life can't be controlled every single day.

Google told me that Day 20-25 was the quitter's mark. Barely a quarter of the way there, the finishing line seemed light-years away and others online agreed. I was determined to keep going but I knew that I had to alter my working routine if I was to stand a chance. Thankfully, the decision to jump over the hurdle paid off on Day 31 when supermodel Tyra Banks liked my portrait of her. She is the most recent celebrity encounter I've had to date and she's likely the most well-known of the bunch.

So far, I have produced some pieces that I am really proud of, in styles that I thought were too foreign for me to ever master, all neatly tied together under the same black and white filter. I have shaped a much healthier working routine for myself which tends to see the 100 Day drawing completed early in the day, freeing up afternoons and evenings for other commitments. I highly recommend starting the challenge if you're out to push yourself like I was. You never know who will support you.

Follow me on Instagram @hannahrichillustrator to see the project in full and keep up-to-date with the second half. Be sure to check out the #100DayProject hashtag on Instagram to view brilliant work produced worldwide. That's all, folks!