I often lament about missing my “creative past”—an era between 1995 and 2009 where I was a veritable powerhouse of creativity. I was writing fiction, molding miniatures out of clay, designing clothes, sketching up characters and even drawing DIY comics…
A lot changed in my life after graduating from fashion school, which isn’t surprising. What I didn’t realize was that the free-wheeling creativity is what I would miss the most from my younger days.
Once upon a time, I would spend day and night on creative projects. It was as natural as breathing. These days, I have an instant pang of “isn’t there something you should actually be doing?” when I attempt to engage in something whimsical.
Growing up also comes with a fat dose of reality, and that distracts us from the all-important sense of joy and discovery that embarking on a random creative adventure can be. That’s why I was so excited to see #The100DayProject pop up on my Insta-feed this April. It’s a 100-day long challenge where participants simply do one creative thing each day.
Some people are doing visual and performing arts, others are writing or making music. When I found it, I decided to try and revive my love of sketching, and I created a separate Instagram account to post my creations each day.
The odds that I’ll actually do this every day for 100 days is pretty slim, but I am welcoming the excuse to take time out of my day and just draw. It turns out that this is excellent therapy—almost meditative.
My drawings are nothing groundbreaking our amazing. I have a recurring theme of pastries and pretty girls in romantic, melancholy moments. I’ve been photoshopping some of the sketches into backgrounds to create a little world.
My long-term idea for this project is to develop it into a series of characters who live in a little imaginary world called Pink Moon Cafe, but I’m not really worrying about how/if I get that far with it.
Another idea behind the separate account is to encourage a message of solidarity through creativity. Drawing and writing have gotten me through some tough times in my life. My creativity is something I know I can always take refuge in when the shit hits the fan. We don’t always remember how powerful a tool self-expression can be, in all forms.
For now, I’m having fun, and I wanted to post this to remind you guys to have some fun too.
So, tell me! What did you enjoy when you were younger? What if you could pick up the habit again? If you need permission to do so, I’m giving it to you now. Creative expression of all kinds can be a form of therapy and a way to rebalance our minds.
Making things feels good. If you want to see more of my drawings, check out Pink Moon Cafe here and follow the account! And be sure to follow my main Insta, Hey Mishka, if you’re not already.
Let me know what you end up doing, and drop me a link to your account if you’re doing the challenge, too!
I moved to a cute apartment in Bushwick with a jungle-tastic backyard, high ceilings, a walk-in closet and a sewing studio. The walls in my room are aqua blue. I love it.
