January Creative Project: Multi-media Gallery

January is International Creativity Month, and it is such a good excuse to do some creative things and stimulate the right brain. As our mission is to inspire, we host a creative challenge every January. This year’s project is to create a multi-media gallery.

Why should you participate? This fun project will add some décor to your home, allow you to express your creativity and feature some creations that are meaningful to you. And let’s be honest, you probably need the nudge in order to carve out time out of your busy schedule to do fun and creative things at home. As an extra incentive, we will send you a free gift if you take a picture of your completed gallery and post it on Instagram, tagging @dogoodpaperco and using hashtag #dogoodcreate by Feb 7.

The creative challenge was launched on January 10, and every Tuesday in January, I post(ed) a new task on Instagram. But you can start any time, and do the tasks all at once, or space them out over several weeks – it’s totally up to you.

The gallery I am creating includes 6 pieces, but feel free to do less or more. Here are the instructions:

• Find a space in your home or office where you’d like to add a gallery on the wall.
• Decide if you’ll use frames (same size or various sizes) or clipboards, and obtain them.
• Create the following pieces for display:
  1. QUOTES GRAPHIC – Print your favourite quote either on a plain background or an image that resonates with you. Canva is a great program to use for this.
  2. WORD CLOUD – Using an online program like wordclouds.com, create a word cloud in any shape you like. Pick a main word as the theme, then add about 40 related words.
  3. PHOTOGRAPHS – Find 3 photographs (if displaying 6 pieces in total) that you like and edit them as you see fit. Consider choosing one scenic photo and 2 images with people you love.
  4. CHOICE – for this last piece, you can create whatever you like! Need some ideas?
     • Painting
     • Sketch
     • Mindful Colouring
     • Music Sheet
     • Page from your favourite book
• Arrange all your pieces and install your gallery. (Remember to post a picture of your completed gallery for Instagram!)

Here are some additional tips:

• At the start, make some aesthetic decisions for your gallery overall, such as colour palette, style and layout. When creating your pieces, make sure they fit within your creative vision.
• If possible, print the quotes graphic and word cloud on card stock, and the photos on photo paper, so that the pages don’t curl or wrinkle.
• Invite a buddy to do this challenge with you! It’s more fun and you’ll be more likely to see the project through to completion.

I hope you will thoroughly enjoy embarking on this creative journey, and creating something that you’ll be so proud to look at for the rest of the year. I look forward to seeing your creations, so remember to tag us if you post any pictures.