52 FACE - A Passion Project by Filicia

Have I told you before that I love December?  I love it for so many reasons. First of all, I love Christmas so much, I love the spirit, the festivity and the joy. It seems like people have this sort of happiness glowing from their faces during this time of the year. With Christmas and New Year Eve, comes the holiday, which is also the reason I love December.

Then, December is the closing month of every year. It is the time for me at least, to reflect on what's been happening on the last 12 months. I looked back on what I have achieved, what I have failed and what I can do better in the future. 

December is a hopeful month. It is the time when I got to think of what I can do in the next one year, think of a resolution, personal goals, projects, and else. Well, there are some people who said that if you want to start something, you can start at anytime. But, there is something special about closing the year and do a new project with a fresh start. It got me more motivated, more spirited and generally more focus.

On my resolution this year, I mentioned about this project called 52 FACE if you did notice. And today, I will be sharing more about this project. The excerpt here is developed from what I wrote in my sacred notebook. Sacred, because this notebook is where I wrote down all my pilot project before I went to another notebook for the planning.

OBJECTIVE

Once when I was taking a bath in the morning, I came up with what I dubbed myself as a brilliant idea. I could not stop thinking about it at all! I kept on thinking about this idea even on the motorbike on my way to office. Luckily the driver knew his way so I could concentrate on this series of thoughts running inside my brain.

If there is something that I had learned from my days as a university student, it will be this statement. That if I wanted to start a project, I should know the problem. That way, I can come up with a solution and focus on it. If I just do something aimlessly, with no mission or no problem, my focus can easily get shifted and driven away.

I knew I had a problem and I knew it was a serious problem, for me. Not serious at all for anyone else, I swore. 

I am lost.

I was losing my creativity. I was losing my sense of creating things, making stuffs and enjoying the process of doing something. I was losing them, and I was afraid that I will keep on losing it if I did not do something for myself.

My situation right now is so different from my situation back then as a student as well as an intern. I came from visual communication design major and now work as a copywriter and social media executive. So basically, the majority of my works included researching and writing. But that's it.

I do love writing, though. Don't get me wrong. If I don't love it, I would not take the job at the first place. But, this past months, after graduating from university, I realized that my activity has only evolved around writing. On weekdays, I write for work. On weekends, I write for myself.  

No, actually, after work or on weekends, I would prefer to watch Korean drama, watch the newest movie in cinema or hangout with my friends. I feel like I have been so tired from work already so I have to reward myself and get some chill. I feel like I have been writing and typing and staring at the screen 5-days straight that I should give myself a break. But man, the temptation to watch the Korean drama, you know, haha. 

I came to realize that I might be losing my creativity. That's why, I have to come up with something that can help me hone that skill again. I want to start creating again, designing again and do something to give myself a chance for personal growth. 

CHALLENGE

I know myself and I know how easy it is for me to get swayed away from a project or to give up in the middle of it. I am not the most determined person when it came to a personal project. Especially because of the label personal a.k.a the one who can set and change the standard is myself, lol.

I mean, I have nothing to lose if I did not finish the project. I can also come up with various excuses on why I can not finish my own project. Like, that Korean drama is going to end soon, I have to catch up! Or like, I am so sleepy and my eyes are teary for staring at the screen so long, I should sleep.

SOLUTION

I came up with an idea to answer my own problem, which is to dedicate my free time outside of working to get on a year-long personal project. I will not be doing the same thing for the whole year though, because I am afraid that I might get bored. I think it is better to break down the project weekly and try to come up with something refreshing every week.

On my procrastination and endless excuses, I came up with another solution. I don't know who told me this or where I read this, but it is said that if you want to commit on something, try sharing it with the people around you. That way, you kind of have a "commitment" you have to be kept with those people. 

I also don't know if it is a good idea for me to share it with the internet-sphere, but hopefully, this can help me to commit on my project and not to quit in the middle. So, if you are reading this right now and I was gone somewhere along the way, please come and reach me, remind me, so I can get back on the ground. 

To add more fun, of course I had to come up with a name for the project, right? Right! At first, when my idea was still raw, when I was still sitting on the motorbike, I came up with the name:

52 FARTS : Filicia's Art Station

((yes, it's a nod to SM Station))

But when I think about it, art might be too abstract and does not cover all the aspects that I want. Apart from designing digitally, I also want to go back to crafting again, go to art gallery, events, museum, etc.

So, I came up with another acronym.

52 FACE : Filicia's Art and Craft Exploration

The number 52 is pretty obvious I guess. But if you did not notice yet, it represents the 52 weeks in a year. While I like the first one for it sounds hilarious, I think the second one suit my intention better. So, 52 FACE it is. 

My plan for now is to not make this as a daunting task but rather a fun exploration just like its name. I knew I will be able to do the project mostly on weekends. And I know that I will travel on some of those weekends. 

Rather than forcing myself to produce something on those days, I can opt for another creative endeavor. For instance, I can take pictures during my travel and make a photo journal, or I can visit the art gallery in the respective place. The possibilities are endless and I do not really want to limit myself.

There are some ideas that I have had and have written during my initial planning project. I have thought of not only creating something new but also continuing stuffs I have left behind, redoing my old projects, collaborating with other creative people, etc. I also included writing project because, why not? If you are curious, you can zoom in the picture below.

So, here it is, a good luck for 52 FACE, a year-long exploration and a weekly reminder to keep on creating. Here it is, a friendly reminder for myself to never lose my sense of creativity and to remember again the magical feelings of finishing what you started.

Thank you for reading until the end.

Cheers and have a beautiful day!

P.s. Hello from Abe, a faithful companion that has accompanied me for years and will continue so on years ahead.