Bird a Day - Final Thoughts

So the Bird a Day Challenge is over... here are a few questions I've been asked over the last week.

How do you feel now?

It's finally over... it's a strange feeling to be at the end of something, I do feel a sense of achievement at having done what I set out to do and I am tempted to make it a regular thing in my crafting as it forces me to be creative.

Doing something creative everyday has had a positive impact upon my well being and peace of mind too. I feel a lot better than I did at the beginning of the year, when I felt burnt out. People find it strange when I talk about not feeling creative considering the job I do but sometimes even a creative job starts to feel like a bit of a slog. I do feel more invigorated... things are starting to feel normal again.

What were your favourite birds to make?
My favourites surprised me! They were the ones that were most challenging initially but turned out the best. I'm very fond of the Spoonbill, Pelican, Dodo and the seagull... but my favourite is the Tree Creeper, because I saw one in the park and he caught the feeling of him perfectly!

Was it hard to make a bird in an hour?
The felting part is the easy bit! Making them tiny and starting with the bead cuts the time down... It's the photographing and blogging that really takes up time! I didn't take that into account when I set out to do this so it ended up taking up 2 hours of my day rather than just 1... next time I think I will find a better way to just snap a quick picture. 

Did you miss any days?
I didn't miss out a day of making but sometimes there just wasn't time to photograph things or I was too tired. That just meant a couple of days when there were double posts. 

Are you sick of looking at tiny bird feet?
Never!

Wait next time? You're going to do this again?
Yes... but maybe not for a while... or on a weekly basis rather than daily.

When will the birds be up for sale?
I'm hoping to get them up for sale by monday... I will keep you posted.

What Advice would you give to anyone taking on a challenge like this?
Go for it! Even if you think you might fail... you should go for it. Find something that works for you and make sure you find a way to share it as being held accountable by others is great motivation. II have to admit... I tried something like this once before and didn't share it and I failed, sharing was the best thing, it's hard to work in a vacuum. You'll be amazed how supportive people can be! 

Also... make the time to do it, it could be anything, make a bird a day, a drawing a day, write something, bake something... it's worth it, you'll feel like a different person at the end an you will want to keep being creative!

xx
mel

Bird a Day: Day 29 - Toucan

Bird a Day: Day 29 - Toucan

Yesterday was a bit of a bust... I pretty much made a bird then went back to bed! So today there will be another post later on. I was struggling for inspiration and then I saw this wonderful animated artwork by Jeca Martinez on Facebook.

 

Toucan Paradise

 I'm noy sure my Toucan has as much charm as these cuties but there is something about him... I think he caught a little of my melancholy! Poor thing!

Bird a Day: Day 22: Ostrich

Bird a Day: Day 22: Ostrich

Sometimes I have to improvise to get a quick photo!

Bird a Day Q & A

Today I thought I might do something a bit different to mark 2 weeks into the Bird a Day Challenge. I have made today's bird but I can't take photos today as I'm going out with Mr Felt to enjoy a day off! So there will be 2 birds tomorrow!

Instead I decided to do a Bird a Day Q&A. Over the past 2 weeks I have had lots of questions about the challenge so I'm going to answer them here together.

What prompted you to decide to do this challenge?
At the beginning of the year I felt a little stuck creatively, which can happen when you have a creative job, I got bogged down into just reproducing old designs and wanted something to shake me out of my comfort zone and help me get inspired.

I bought Noah Scalin's books "365 - A daily Creativity Journal" and "Unstuck" to try and get inspired but after thinking about it I decided that really I just wanted to felt and make birds! So I did! I thought about doing a year of birds but it was quite a commitment... although I may do it at some point as so far I'm really enjoying making a bird a day.

Where do you find your inspiration for the birds?
Everywhere! I'm a complete bird nerd! I made the Long Tailed Tit because I saw a flock of them on the way to the studio, I'm lucky to live so close to nature and I get to walk through the South Cliff Gardens on my way to the studio everyday. I have David Attenborough's Life Of Birds in my DVD player and I collect vintage bird books so I draw a lot of inspiration from them.

How do you get such lovely round shapes?
I cheat! I bought a big bag of multi coloured felt beads... if I were to felt them myself it would take ages and the point is that the challenge is quicker than it normally takes me to make a bird.

How big are the birds?
Each bird is felted onto a 3cm bead but they have bits sticking off, little stands, long necks, wire legs and all manner of different attachments so each one is a different size, you can see from the pictures of my paws the relative size.

What is your favourite bird that you are yet to make and why haven't you made it yet? 
A Dodo... I really want to make a Dodo! I'm not sure what's holding me back but I'm hoping to do one soon

If you were a cupcake what would you be?
Something chocolatey, with chocolate icing and chocolate sprinkles and chocolate sauce!

Can we suggest birds for you to make?
Yes... but if I don't then don't be disappointed, I have lots of my own ideas it all depends how I feel when I sit down to work!

Can I buy this bird?
Yes! At the end of the project I will be auctioning them all off with a portion of the proceeds being donated to charity... I haven't decided the best way to do this yet but at the moment it's probably going to be on Ebay. 

Will you make more of these birds? If I miss out on the auction can I commission one? 
I haven't decided yet... In fairness to the people who bid most of them will be one of a kind. Although there is at least 1 that I want to add to my flock!

If you have any questions I haven't answered please feel ask me either here in the comments or over on facebook and I promise to answer them all. 

xx
Mel