More than three years have passed since I first acquired the itch to learn how to screen print. In that time, I’ve purchased books on screen printing, read about screen printing, and planned the layout of a screen printing studio in my garage. I even purchased a small refrigerator to store photo emulsion. Despite all this activity, there is one thing I haven’t done yet: screen print.
As embarrassing as it is to tell this story, it hints at a broader truth. Namely, in order to say yes to something, you must first learn to say no. Over the past three years, I’ve said yes to several side projects that left no time or space for screen printing. These side projects have been for worthy causes, and I’m glad to have completed them. However, they were ultimately draining.
In my current stage of life, I’m learning that it’s okay to say no to worthwhile projects for the sake of joy and creativity. There needs to be space in life to work on energizing projects of a more personal nature. It’s not self-absorption. It’s creative rejuvenation – simply taking joy in the act of creating.
To this end, I would like to make an announcement. Over the course of the year, I will complete one personal project each month: 12 Projects in 12 Months. The reasoning for this structure is straightforward. Twelve is a number large enough to significantly dent my growing backlog of project ideas. One month’s time will force me to limit the scope of each project to something realistically achievable.
I will document the end result of each project on the 12 Projects in 12 Months section of this site (simply a placeholder at the time of this writing). Additionally, follow me on Instagram for updates and process photos throughout the year.
This marks the jumping off point. I don’t have the whole year’s projects planned out perfectly yet. Some projects will be more successful than others. Some might fail. But each project will be an energizing adventure into the unknown. When the year is done, I likely still won’t have my own screen printing studio. But at the very least, I will have screen printed something.