A year of creative challenges

Her friend Deborah came up with the idea and because Clare has 'always been a dabbler' and likes trying new things and learning new skills, she decided to join her and post her achievements on Pinterest to create a visual diary for the year.

"Experimenting with acrylics"

We don’t have to do things in order to be good at them, sometimes it's enough to try them out and enjoy the creative process

"I’ve loved lots of things I’ve done in the past, but nothing has ever stuck as the one thing I want to spend the rest of my creative life doing.

"I think I’ve seen this as a failing in the past, an inability to commit to something and really focus and get good at it! That is one of the things that the project has dispelled, we don’t have to do things in order to be good at them, sometimes it's enough to try them out and enjoy the creative process," she says.

Fitting in a creative task around working with husband Jay in their research business and her two daughters was always going to be a challenge in itself but, she says, that was one of the attractions with this project. Because she was doing something every day, she didn't feel she had to really work at it, which took away the pressure to either complete something, or for it to be perfect.

During the year Clare, from Kingsbridge, Devon, joined watercolour and ballet classes and tried a variety of skills including crochet, dressmaking, knitting and photography.

She particularly enjoyed joining classes and says she has met some lovely people and those connections all added to the creative process.

"I will definitely carry on painting in some way. I will also carry on crocheting, dressmaking and knitting. It’s lovely to have something practical at the end, although I do just love the process of crochet and enjoy free-styling, ending up with lots of frilly, holey things," she says.

"Churchyard Braunton - pencil"

I think it has shown people another side of me, and my girls now see me a bit more as a person in my own right rather than just their mother

There are a few things that she didn’t get round to - papercutting and pottery for example. But she says she will eventually do them.

She did find some of the tasks challenging. In particular when she went on a two day painting course and realised that she was with some semi-professional artists. She hadn’t done acrylic painting for about 25 years and felt intimidated by the work they were producing.

But, she says, "lesson learnt - don’t compare yourself to others! Looking back at what I produced I am now proud of it."

She's proud of the fact that she kept at it and didn't give up, even though it took a little longer than a year to complete. "As a friend reframed it for me - my ‘year' just happens to be about 15 months," she says.

"I think it has shown people another side of me, and my girls now see me a bit more as a person in my own right rather than just their mother.

"I think it has given them the confidence to try things too. The whole family joined me in a drawing challenge during the holidays. Lots of fun. Would love to do that again," she says.

Clare would definitely recommend anyone take on this sort of challenge and she would pass on the advice she got from Deborah, to be kind to yourself.

Clare and her crochet hat

"Make your own rules so that you don’t beat yourself up if you miss a day or two."

"But that said, it is the daily element that helps keep you going - so as with most things it’s a balance," she says.

There were plenty of days when she didn’t feel creative but she would then think up something really quick to do, like a continual line drawing, or doodling or a bit more crocheting or knitting.

"It all counts and I knew I would enjoy it and feel good about it. Other days I just let it go, sometimes for a week or so. But then I loved coming back to it and the ‘challenge’ aspect helped to bring me back," she says.

She plans to keep on creating and trying out new things and will "keep open-minded as to where it might take me, and not worry if it doesn’t take me anywhere because it has made me happy just being here and being me."

You can see all of Clare's creations on her Pinterest board.