Creative Sprint

A couple weeks ago, I had the opportunity to listen to a guest artist speak of a group of us from the Design School at KU. His name is Noah Scalin, and he challenged me to do a creative sprint.

Noah pioneered a 365 day challenge for himself where he made a skull per day out of anything he could think of and get his hands on. This creative practice went viral. From his experiences in the art world and after completing a year of making a unique skull every single day, he has issued the #CreativeSprint art game challenge to anyone who is willing to accept.

So what is it? It's literally a global art game for anyone to join in on. "It engages a diverse group of individuals, businesses, schools and community organizations in 30 consecutive days of making and sharing," as it says on the website - creativesprint.co .

I've chosen the theme of circles to explore for my creative sprint.

To me, circles are pretty magical.

There's the thing where it's a never ending line representing infinity... or how people say, "if you love someone, put their name in a circle, not a heart, because hearts break and circles go on forever."... or circles of learning and circles of influence and the circle of communities that we are inevitably a part of.

That last thing - community - is a circle I am very fond of. I recognize very thoroughly that my success and progress in any field I am involved in is directly attributed to the communities who have invested in me and my passions. Equally, I made the active decision many times to engage with those who were investing in me so that I could learn as much as possible and also gain friends, mentors, and collaborators. I continually remind myself how thankful I am for the people I choose to surround myself with and think of ways I can use my talents to give back to them as well.

I am determined to be a life long learner and creator and to keep expanding my circles and the circle of influence I have among those I come in contact with.

Back to the Creative Sprint - I challenged myself to photograph circles that are innately around us in nature, architecture, design...anything. The circle as a tool of design is influential in its own right. So while I open my eyes to absorb and share the circles I find as I go through these 30 days, they will serve as reminders and thought provokers on how I can expand and utilize the circles and communities I am a part of through innovation, creativity, and fellowship.

Follow my art Instagram page to keep up with my Creative Sprint and follow the #CreativeSprint hashtag on different social medias to see what other people are doing. If you want to start your own sprint, sign up and join us on their website!

- Annika 

Miss Wooded Hills