Day 11: What you *get* to do
meet Jackie Doucette
Hello, friends—
Yesterday, we took a moment to look back on the first ten days—what you made, how it felt, what’s working, and what you want to adjust. Now let’s see where that takes us!
Today, we’re going to hear from someone who’s learned a lot about what it means to keep showing up. Jackie Doucette is a collage artist, illustrator, and writer who creates during nap time at her kitchen table with two young kids at home. Her conversation is about trying, adjusting, working with what you have, and the difference between “I get to” and “I have to.”
When we last spoke, you mentioned that you had “tried” the project every year since ~2019. I love that you said that—people often tell me that they failed, but another way of looking at that is that they tried. What helps you keep trying?
I like to frame most things by saying “I get to” rather than “I have to.” And with that, my creative practice isn’t a burden, I GET to make art. And if life is currently devouring too much time and space or I’m at a period where mentally, creative work feels overwhelming, I don’t force it. It should be a “get to” not a “have to.” Forcing something, especially something that should be for yourself, is not worth it. Something as ambitious as creating for 100 days is no small feat, even a few days in a row is a win. But if life has other plans, press pause and try again when I have the capacity.
Last year was your first time doing collage (is that right?). It really looked like you were having fun with it. How did you land on collage, and what do you love about it?
Yes! Last year was my first time doing collage and it’s been a new way to work for me. Limited time and resources made collage a practical choice. I have so many scrap paintings and used pieces of paper. So many of the scenes/pieces comes together even before I get out the scissors.
We’re still early in the project. For people who are still right-sizing theirs, any recommendations?
Often the artists that I admire the most are the ones I’ve seen grow and adjust their creative practice over time. Their ability to be open with their journey and practice helps me get more comfortable as I grow mine. All that’s to say, it’s part of the journey! What you’re working on day one may look entirely different than what you end up with day 100. The more you are honest with yourself and those who are following along on your journey about what’s working and what you’re struggling with, the richer the experience.
Your newsletter is called Amateur’s Alphabet—what’s it about and what’s the significance of the name?
Ha! It sure is. My substack newsletter, Amateur's Alphabet, is based on a book I illustrated and wrote about being a woman in her adulting years learning how to surf. Let’s just say learning how to ride waves with kids 30 years my junior has been a very humbling (and humorous) experiment. Approaching everything, especially the things that cause me the most frustration - like making art, surfing and parenting my 2yr old and 5yr old - allows me to be generous with myself and turn to humor when things melt down. None of us have all the answers, right?
You recently wrote about being inconvenienced (which my phone autocorrected to “be inconvenient” when I shared, which I also love!) as a way of living:
“Community takes effort. It’s often inconvenient and often awkward. Inconvenience doesn’t ‘optimize time’ (whatever that means), but it does ask me to build the world I want. Makers markets, showing up for community meetings at inconvenient times, and searching locally for alternatives to the stuff I used to get online, inconvenience encourages us to put effort into things and people that take patience and attention when our brains are being trained to value the immediate. Yet, inconvenience, slowness and patience is where hope, connection, and, dare I say, love reside.”
One thing I’m cautious of is how a 100 Day Project can tip into hustle culture—just another thing to check off your list, another way to be productive—but it can also be about slowness, about choosing something inconvenient because of how it makes you feel. How does your project do that for you?
The allure of self-optimization - to be at our “peak,” or to become an expert in something in the smallest amount of time possible really contradicts what I think we all know to be true deep down - that things worth having take time. And 100 days is a long time, sometimes prohibitively so - I should know! I’ve only completed these 100 days 2 out of 7 tries.
For me, returning to a practice day after day throughout the 100 days comes down to showing up, however things are. I would absolutely love a studio space of my own, and the time and freedom to create what I wished. But, that’s not my reality. Most days I create during nap time, usually while on hold with health insurance and doing chores. With two little kids at home, I live within the constant scarcity of silence, space and free time. If I want to create I have to do it in tandem with their interruptions. I’m often at the kitchen table, working with what I have, like elmer’s glue and old painting scraps. So, in some ways creating within these restrictions makes me show up all the more determined to do it. It can be the only time I take “alone” where I can go slow and play. And regardless of what I’ve made, I always feel better afterwards.
Thank you to Jackie Doucette for sharing—you can connect with her here on Substack:
FOR YOUR PROJECT TODAY
Jackie talks about working with what she has—collage made from scrap paintings and used paper, created at the kitchen table during nap time. Look at your project and ask: What do I already have that I’m not using?
This could be:
Materials you’ve been saving
Time pockets you haven’t considered
Scraps, leftovers, or “mistakes” from earlier work
FOR INSPIRATION
Look at Jackie’s collage work on her Substack and Instagram. Notice how she works with scraps and limited materials to create scenes that feel whole and intentional. Notice the humor and lightness in her approach.
SHARE IN THE CHAT
What constraints are you working within right now? What do you “get to” do with your project today, rather than what you “have to” do?
Keep track of your observations in whatever way works for you—a journal, a note on your phone. If you’d like to share, you can always comment on our posts or paid subscribers can join the daily chat here:
XO,
Lindsay