Book Review: 365- A Daily Creative Journal by Noah Scalin

Day 79 of Countdown to Christmas Holiday Gift Guide

There are absolutely no rules when it comes to 365 A Daily Creativity Journal: Make Something Every Day and Change Your Life! The point is to explore all inspiration with a variety of tools and mediums. Because there are no rules, you can read this book page by page, or you can randomly skip around if you want.
The point is to get the inspiration that your brain is so desperately asking for, so that you can create either what needs to be created or what you WANT to create. A daily project is all about what you want, the rules and goals you make for yourself, and your desire to create.
I love this authors work and the inspiration he has given me as a creator himself. He isn’t forcing you to do anything but gives such creative, inspiring ideas  that you may end up creating MORE than just ONE project a day. This book also provides a journal so that you can keep track of your ideas.
This isn’t a read once and put down book. This is a creative person’s BIBLE. This is something that should travel with you into the world along with a notebook and pen. This book teaches you to see the world as a canvas with unlimited possibilities as to what to do with that canvas.
One day you may look at one of the ideas and create something, then a week later looking at the same idea- you may come up with something totally different. That’s what I love about this book! UNLIMITED possibilities, Continuing inspiration, and the know how to get where I need to be.
As a writer and a crafter- this book has been priceless the last couple of weeks. No matter what line of work you do or want to do- as long as you need inspiration in your line of work, this book is for you!
You aren’t made to follow the ideas exactly word for word, he gives the option of changing it up and making it up- he just gives that extra something that is needed at times to get your brain back into the flow of things.
I’d always wanted to do a 365, actually since I started blogging. I’d seen so many that I wanted to do. I’d start, remain active for a month- then lose the will to continue on. That meant I’d drop off the creative map completely. I’d tell myself I didn’t really have the time, or I’d lose inspiration.
But it’s like this- A 365 can take as little time or as long as you want it to. It is YOUR 365- totally up to you. You don’t have to keep up with all the others, just keep up with yourself, and this is what I needed to tell myself.
Don’t let the commitment of a year long project scare you out of doing it. IT can be done. TONS of people do. You just need to relax, have fun with it, and BUY THIS BOOK. I love it.
Not only does the front title mock a real composition book (so it’s humorous) but the inside of the book is colorful, eye catching, and totally fun!
Here are some of the days of the 365 that I’ve created. *Please note that these aren’t in order of the days in the book* I’ve skipped around to give you guys a look at what’s inside this genius book!
Day 1:
The first step is the hardest, so start small today and make something that fits in the palm of your hand using only materials in your immediate environment.


Day 40:
What can you do with yarn? You don’t have to know how to knit or crochet, you can try yarn painting or just experiment.

Day 91: Use coffee beans, dry or wet coffee grounds, or even liquid coffee (in a cup or not) to create something today.'

See these aren’t hard. AND they don’t require LONG detailed thought out process of something (well.. unless you want them to of course) This is totally up to you and what you can create with these things.
I love the way that this book is laid out. It has 2 days on each page. In between those days is space for you to write down what you did or thought processes. Or you could just take a picture of what you made that day and paste it in the spot!

I think it would be AWESOME to start out on page 1 and end on page 365 and have other bloggers do this as well. We could all compare and contrast our thought process. Because it doesn’t matter what has been written for that day- everybody is going to come up with something totally different.
In the back of the book is even more goodies! Those goodies happen to be recipes for Papier Mache, Quilling, Pop-ups, Pinata, and Baker’s Clay. So he doesn’t only provide the inspiration, he is also providing the ingredients to get that inspiration started!
Noah has totally kicked the fear out of me! I am no longer afraid that I can’t commit to something EVERY single day of the year and make it something that I would actually like a year from now. I love everything about this book.! I just wish I had discovered it earlier! Noah is an amazing inspiration, a great author, and an amazing person.
This would be an amazing stocking stuffer or gift for someone you know that is creative. Whether they may be a writer, a crafter, or just someone who likes to create.. They will truly enjoy this book!

About the Book
The concept of Noah Scalin’s "365 method" is simple but inspired: Choose a theme or medium, then make something every day for a year. Noah made 365 skull-themed projects . . . now he invites you to choose your obsession and get creative!
The book offers 365 project prompts to kick start your creativity, plus plenty of room for journaling, sketching, and jotting down ideas. Learn how to choose your subject and document your work, and see examples from other artists and crafters who took the 365 challenge. In addition, master new techniques to incorporate into your projects, including quilling, clay-making, paper pop-up engineering, and more. Share your progress with other 365-ers at www.MakeSomething365.com.
With 365: A Daily Creativity Journal you’ll get charged up, get messy, and get inspired, and you’ll see how making something every day can change your creative process—and change your life—forever!


About the Author
In 2007, artist Noah Scalin came up with an ingenious idea: he cut a skull out of orange paper and posted it on his blog with the note, “I’m making a skull image every day for a year.” His year-long art project became an award-winning internet sensation that resulted in the book Skulls, as well as landing him in the New York Times and on the Martha Stewart Show. He lives in Richmond, Virginia.
www.noahscalin.com & www.skulladay.blogspot.com

BUY IT: You can buy this book from QBookShop for only $12.74. It’ll be the best 12.74 you ever spent in your life!

Or you can buy it from Amazon, or Barnes & Noble

It is also available in Ebook Format:
Apple Ibook, Amazon Ebook, Barnes & Noble Ebook, Kobo Books, and MORE!

Disclosure: This isn’t a sponsored post, products were sent from Creative Publishing for review purposes only. The opinions in this post are completely honest and not influenced in any way.