Customer Reviews

365: A Daily Creativity Journal: Make Something Every Day and Change Your Life!

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When I was earning a BFA, I had a painting professor who forced me to severely limit my color palate. I grumbled about it at the time, but I found that the creation of forced guidelines freed me and taught me the significance of self-imposed rules.

Fast forward some years, and I have just completed day 37 of my year-long project using 365: A Daily Creativity Journal. So far this process has given me, through structure, a similar, freeing experience.

Scalin's process, as laid out in his book, has made me accountable for daily, completed creative production and has forced me to let go by midnight. I cannot put it off, and I cannot over analyze my work or give up on it.

I have been forced to work quickly and to accept my work for what it is. The creation of a blog and being a member of the 365 online community created by Scalin have reinforced this. The result has been increased productivity, yes, but more importantly, a new set of eyes for my own work.

The book gives examples of diverse daily projects as inspiration and ideas for daily projects, so one never feels stranded without an idea. However, the book is not imposing, and people can use it in different ways: as a journal, as a place to keep notes, as daily inspiration, or as a jolt of inspiration when it is needed.

The book's suggestions are unconventional and varied. Some are more challenging while some are gentle prods. Nothing requires expensive materials or equipment. Every suggestion is accessible and open-ended, so there are myriad approaches to each one. Scalin approaches projects as puzzles and explorations and not as controlled activities or rigid guidelines.

Does a daily project seem too daunting? Scalin breaks down the process to make it more approachable and gives ideas for other time frames, such as weekly projects. The layout leaves plenty of space to work out ideas or track results, and the good quality, coated paper prevents bleed through, even with a Sharpie. The cover is resilient, so you can carry your book with you, crack the spine, and really use it. It holds up better than most of my notebooks. *cough* Moleskine *cough*

This book is suitable for any age group, from young children to adults, and every skill level. The projects function well for use by an individual or by a group and can take as little or as much time as one can afford.

This book would be a great resource for families, instructors, teachers, home schoolers, classroom aides, senior citizen groups, scouting instructors, Sunday school teachers, VBS instructors, and camp counselors because the book can be applied to nearly any medium or used to inspire activities.

365: A Daily Creativity Journal is a great way to pull yourself, family and friends away from screen time in an inexpensive and productive way while flexing your creative thinking and problem solving. I highly recommend it.

I have been waiting for this book to come out for awhile and it was well worth the wait. I'm a creative type and this book is very inspiring. If you need inspiration, and even if you don't, this makes a wonderful addition to anyone's library. There are great ideas sprinkled throughout the book and the journal section leaves plenty of room to write ideas and thoughts down. I'm so glad I got this book and I highly recommend it. I normally don't reviews books I buy but this one definitely deserves a review. Buy it and you won't regret it.

This book is for the person who may have uttered, "I'm not very creative." We're all creative people; perhaps not all of us are producing, or leading creative lives. This journal is not intended to do your creating for you, or even lead you toward Scalin's idea of the creative life. Instead, like any good teacher, Scalin introduces you to your own creative muscles and shows you how to turn ideas into art, one day at a time. That the process is fun, thoughtful, and often challenging gives this substance beyond other how-to books, which are usually too precious for my liking.

I bought this for my 12 year old daughter for Christmas. When it arrived, I flipped through it and didn't think too muck about it being one of her favorites. She really loves this book. It contains 365 days of really fun craft projects. She is going to try to wait until Jan. 1 to start the crafts and activities because thats how the book is laid out. Great book!!

This book is perfect for anyone who's creative and needs motivation or who isn't creative and needs inspiraion.

It's easy to read (which is great if you're dyslexic like me) and full of great ideas. The bulk of the book is in a diary format, with each day giving you an idea to create something.

The great bit is that this is not just a book, there is an amazing online community, where you can share your daily creations, and get great support.

I've been trying to be more creative everyday, and this book has encouraged me to do thing's i'd never dream of before ... and i'm still doing it into February (a resolution first!).

Sarah [...]

I really enjoy this book. The author is very positive and encouraging. I have found that after doing projects every day for the last month that I dont need the book as much to be creative. It has served as a tool to help me get my creative juices flowing and is an inspiration on the days that I am lacking any real direction. I would definitly recommend this book to anyone that needs a little ispiration, or just some help in thinking outside of the box.

This is exactly what I was looking for!!! If your creativity is a little "stuck" or if you just want to try something new, this is a great daily idea/crafting book!!! I was so excited when it finally came!!!

I was hooked on this author's concept right away! The journal inspires you to take a few minutes each day to make something, document the results, and then share the results with others for an entire year. The prompts listed in this journal encourage a few minutes of creativity every day. Many prompts are open-ended and seem written for teens and older, but could easily be adapted for all ages. The author's original concept was to follow a theme for the entire year; he made a skeleton a day, and documented his results daily. His concept grew into this journal filled with prompts on different topics, art forms, and media that encourage the creative spirit. I'm inspired to use this book and its concept in my middle school art classroom.

Love this book! It provides inspiration for the "creativity challenged" as much as it does for the artist. Since I fall into the former category, I'm doing my creative projects by the book and love that I too can play and try something new each day.

The journey of discovering yourself (and new talents) and a renewed awareness of the beauty around you is a great reason to buy this book. I find Noah's story inspiring and now that I am working my way thru the book, I've found there's a fabulous community out there of 365 Dayers. If you buy this book (and I recommend you do) be sure to join the 365 Day community on Facebook too and see what others are doing.

I love who I am when I work on my creativity project for the day. Thanks Noah !

I have just begun my 365 journey and have posted an A Face a Day page on my facebook sight. I feel energized and alive as I create faces of various kinds and post them on my page. Every day so far I have felt excited (and a little scared) as I imagine and then create something new.

Thank you, Noah Scalin.

I recommend this book to all closet artists, blocked creators or anyone who has ever had a yen to express themselves. It is great fun!