At the end of November, we gave shout-outs to bloggers and artists who participated in month-long projects like NaBloPoMo and NaNoDrawMo. As 2012 comes to a close, we also want to highlight writers and photographers who challenged themselves all year — who posted each day or each week, or have established an ongoing project on their sites.
These bloggers caught our attention:
JUMP FOR JOY! Photo Project
An inspiring international project focused on play, fun, and the positive in our lives, JUMP FOR JOY! presents Eyoälha Baker’s vision of a world united by our expression of joy. Eyoälha has taken nearly all the images on her blog — with the exception of the photos of her. Her jumping subjects are captured in locations around the world: at the beach in Kauai, at a park in Vancouver, or even between city skyscrapers . . . while holding a ninja sword! We love how she showcases the beauty of the human spirit — in mid-air.
A Year of Reading the World
In 2012, writer and editor Ann Morgan planned to read her way around as many of the globe’s 196 independent countries as she could, sampling one book from every nation. The result? Her thoughtful, sophisticated blog, A Year of Reading the World. In each post, she focuses on a particular book and digs into the country’s history and culture. Recent places included Ethiopia, Guinea-Bissau, and the Maldives.
Hope Street
Kurt Blumenau’s grandfather kept month-to-month calendars — 15 years’ worth! — on which he recorded significant events that affected him, such as the flight of Apollo 17.
These calendars remain in Kurt’s family, and each Monday on his blog, Hope Street, Kurt picks an interesting calendar entry and writes something about it. ”It might be a reflection on my grandfather’s life,” writes Kurt, “or my family’s history and tradition . . . or American life of the 1960s and 1970s . . . or my own life today.”
The blog celebrates his grandfather and family and is a unique, thoughtful project of personal and American history.
Sketches From Memory
We admire the sketch-a-day regimen of comic artist Chuck Cottrell. Chuck posts simple sketches to mini comic strips, mostly in black and white (with some random yet effective bursts of color). We recommend you dive in, as he lets readers in to his personal world — including sharing stories of married life — in a fun, candid way.
Ian Spagnolo Photography
Outdoor landscapes. Dramatic long exposure shots of the sea. Light painting sessions. Follow photographer Ian Spagnolo‘s “365 Project” to sample his work, especially if you enjoy seeing a photographer play around with exposure, light, and other elements. Ian is from Coffs Harbour, a coastal city in New South Wales, Australia, which means he certainly won’t run out of stunning subject matter to shoot.
52 Brand New
For 2012, the personable blogger behind 52 Brand New promised to try 52 new experiences with her children, from tasting new cuisines to attending a family yoga class to collecting rocks. In each “new experience,” she includes playful Polaroid-style images and links to other experiences her family has undertaken, as well as external resources offering ideas for family activities. 52 Brand New is a fresh, creative take on a parenting blog.
Instamatic Gratification
A daily photoblog, Instamatic Gratification succeeds because of its simple and focused approach: one image per day. (We also love the daily quotes that accompany each photograph.) In January 2010, Caryn launched the blog and successfully posted 365 images in that first year. In 2011, she wasn’t quite as diligent, so this year, she decided to challenge herself once again. She writes: “I’ve come to realize that, for me anyway, quantity (or rather the consistency of daily practice) is the surest and most direct route to quality.” We totally agree!
Dar’s 52 Mondays Blog
Dar’s “52 Mondays” project compiles photographs as well as her thoughts on nature, art, education, creativity, and more — a space in which she can share her ideas in one place. We appreciate her weekly dedication to “make Mondays more marvelous,” and think her approach is inspiring.
Since the New Year is just around the corner, we encourage you to start your own 365-day or 52-week project in January. If you have big, exciting plans for your site in 2013, let us know in the comments.
Happy New Year!
Wow! Kurt’s idea of recycling his grandfather’s calendars is tres cool! And here I’ve come closerthanthis to tossing mine because they date back to 1974! Hmm.
Thanks for sharing these delightful blogs! They’re pretty amazing.
I love these 365 ideas! They’ve definitely inspired me to start something–a project called 35mm / 365, where I’ll snap one 35mm photograph each day and post another on my blog. Also, I’ll be making one handmade journal a week, using aviation maps as covers and hand-stitching the pages together. 2013 will be a busy year! – e.v. http://evdecleyre.com
Awesome photo in the Jump for Joy Just goes to show how to put a different perspective on anything, including a simple photo, can jerk us out of the usual quick look
Thank you for this info. I have just completed a memoire to be published at the begining of the year and I am attempting to be a serious writer. I intend to practice with a weekly blog. This information has directed me on how to focus. Thank You!
I’m going to blog about my journey of 52 weeks of trying to be a better Christian. I’m so excited about this journey!
My plan for my blog is to keep my excitement about blogging big! I am really enjoying meeting people from all over the globe and making new friends. I would have started blogging sooner if I’d known how much fun it is.
Blessings to everyone for 2013 ~ Wendy
I should have joined earlier! ;o)
I will be posting a letter a day from my grandparents collection of World War II letters. My grandfather was a country doctor from Indiana and he joined the Navy in May 1942. He served in the Solomon Islands, returning to the states in 1944. Among other things, he missed the birth of my father. My grandmother meticulously wrote about the new baby and life at home. I am learning so much myself about the day to day events that affected my grandparents. My grandfather never really talked about his experiences but his letters reveal so much. In addition to the letters, I share my genealogical research on the extended members of the family who occasionally make cameo appearances in the letters. http://www.genealogylady.net
All great blogs. My thumbtravels.wordpress.com blog is my personal challenge..and I love the comment from Instamatic Gratification. I agree going for quantity will lead to quality so I am taking the challenge in 2013!!
A year of reading the World + Hope Street are ingenious themes that inspire WordPress readers and bloggers with essential blog kits to kick off 2013 in aspirations, creativity, innovation and achievements. Thanks for sharing. Happy New Year 2013 to you all. Let us keep it short, simple and Marvellous in 2013.
Reblogged this on amybanda01 and commented:
Will you jump for JOY in 2013? Don’t waste much time.