Day 41: Anything goes!

meet Becky Helms

Hello, friends—

We’re getting close to the halfway point of the project. How’s it feel? You’ve probably done more than you realize. And… there are still a lot of days ahead! That means plenty more opportunities to make what you want to make.

Over the last 10 days, we focused on what feels right. For the next stretch, we’re finding our bearings—looking at the whole, playing with perspective, getting (re)oriented for where we are now and the days ahead.

Today we have an interview with Becky Helms, a self-described “designer, cat lady, mom, former shop owner recovering from burnout & perfectionism.” She gave herself a really open container—“anything goes”—and then followed what was actually bringing her joy. There’s a lot in here about anxiety, those “I don’t want to do this today” moments, and finding ways through that feel realistic and kind.

Tell us a little about your 100 Day Project!

Officially, my project is just to do something creative every day. It doesn’t matter what. I just need to make the time. I’d found myself really bogged down in the day-to-day of life and wasn’t taking any creative time for myself. So, I decided to give myself a very open container for this year’s project. Anything goes!

Unofficially, though, I’m making beaded necklaces every day! I’d always wanted to try it and figured this was a good enough excuse to dive in. It’s been so fun gathering supplies from local shops and thrift stores and seeing what happens. Plus, I get to wear them and gift them and they just bring me so much joy. Plus, photographing them every day is just as fun as making them. Product photography was one of my favorite parts of running a shop and incorporating that with this daily project is just icing on the cake.

You wrote about anxiety—especially those “ready to quit” moments. What are those like, and how do you move through them?

I feel a real reaction in my body that’s like crawling through molasses when those moments hit. Getting out the supplies feels like a chore and I get frustrated when nothing looks right. The intrusive thoughts of “no one cares if you post this…you’re not actually good at this anyway…you’re wasting your time…” are very real and very loud.

But, I’m actively working on speaking more kindly to myself and I realized that all of those negative thoughts actually come from the outside. They’re rooted in validation from others. But this project is just for me. It doesn’t matter if no one cares that I posted it, I care and I’m glad there’s a record of my work. It doesn’t matter if I’m not good at making necklaces, of course I’m not, I just started. And I’m improving every time I practice. And no time that’s spent on creation is wasted. Ever.

There are a lot of inner pep talks that happen when the anxiety hits, but I’m happy to be my own cheerleader.

You mentioned, “I’ve actually done it every single day (ish).” There’s a lot in that “-ish”! For some people, that gray area is where they get lost—but it sounds like it’s helping you stay flexible and keep going. How do you think about that?

Letting go of the “all or nothing” mentality has been everything for me. My first day of the project, I didn’t even finish a necklace. I took a photo of it on my bead board and that was enough. I did daily drawing projects in the past that really helped me let go of the idea that it’s even possible to show up every day. I’m a mom, so who knows what’s going to happen!

There are some days I find myself hustling to get a necklace done before dinner because I really want to keep my streak up. But, there was also a day that I knew I’d be out of town, so I preemptively photographed an extra beaded project I’d made, just in case. I was really glad I did, because I posted that instead of stressing about finishing something new at the last minute.

Not quitting when things go awry is part of the project to me. And knowing that it’s ok to skip a day if you need to, catch up if you want to, pivot to a totally different project if you feel the spirit move you, or work ahead when you know you’ll be busy with other things, is huge. There are so many ways to deal with hiccups that don’t involve quitting. Definitely stay the course if you’re trying to hold yourself accountable, but we’re just humans. Cut yourself some slack.

Has anything not been working the way you expected? If so, how did you adjust—either in what you were making or how you were approaching it?

I definitely had to work on my timing. In the beginning, I tried to choose a time of day that I thought would be easy to get in the flow, but it just ended up making me rush more often than I wanted. Rushing and feeling like I’m running late are both big triggers for my anxiety, so I gave myself a little more wiggle room for when the crafting actually happens.

Also, beads can be very expensive lol. I really want to keep going with the necklaces, so I’m exploring more sources for second hand supplies and wholesale goodies. I love thrifted beads anyway, so it’s been fun treasure hunting.

When you say you’re running out of ideas “too, lol” — how scary is that, really? Underneath the laugh, what does running dry feel like for you as an artist?

It’s not as scary now as it was when my business depended on it! I had a shop for close to 18 years designing pins, accessories and stationery, and running dry was terrifying back then. But, I think those times prepared me for my personal work later on in life.

There’s this quote by Maya Angelou that I always go back to when I feel like I’ve run out of ideas, “You can’t use up creativity. The more you use, the more you have”. And sometimes, in the exasperated experimentation, when I have no idea what I’m doing, I come up with a design that I love. Something I’d never have done if I didn’t just take the time to just mess around and give myself the space to play. Or, I’ll just revisit an older design that I loved and tweak it into something new. Easy peasy.

The feeling of running dry can happen often, but always passes when you give yourself room to play. And the ideas come easier the more you practice messing around.

Anything else you’d like to share?

I’d just like to thank you for hosting every year and creating a space for folks all over the world to gather and create and share their projects. The variety of projects is just incredible and, on a personal note, the project this year has given me so much confidence and I’m so proud of what I’ve managed to do so far. After shutting down my shop to be a stay-at-home mom and move across the country, I really lost touch with my creative side, but this has really started to bring it back to life. Thank you!

Thank you, Becky! You can follow her here on Substack at Becky Helms or Instagram @thebeckyhelms. And yes—there are so many ways to deal with hiccups that don’t involve quitting. Let’s talk about it!

FOR YOUR PROJECT TODAY

Look at your work so far—all 40 (ish!) days of it. Take in the accumulation.Where does it feel like it’s flowing? Where does it feel like you’re forcing it—or slipping into an all-or-nothing mentality?

Make one small adjustment today: shift when you do your project, make it a little simpler, give yourself more time, or follow a new idea just to see what happens.

FOR INSPIRATION

You can feel the fun in Becky’s colorful pieces—and the care in how she photographs them.

Jewelry and images by Becky Helms

SHARE IN THE CHAT

What feels kind to yourself and fun to make today?

XO,
Lindsay