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At the beginning of 2016, I set out to take one second of video per day, for an entire year. It was something that felt daunting but also manageable somehow, because of the daily bite-sized tasks. I started compiling them into 30-second monthly recaps, which you’ve likely seen if you followed my old blog last year.
If you want to feel like time is passing way too fast, watch an entire year’s worth of memories in less than seven minutes.
I first heard about the Project 365 concept from a Ted Talk by Cesar Kuriyama + was inspired to take it on myself. Initially, it was a struggle to get in the habit of capturing my daily video, a practice that was hard to narrow down to just one second when I was out doing something exciting + hard to remember when I spend the entire day plugging away working on my computer.
It’s a reality of entrepreneurship that you spend a lot of time staring at a screen, but that doesn’t make for a very compelling video, does it? It’s been a fun task to try to see those routine days uniquely or encourage myself to take breaks from the computer – even if it’s just for a walk around the neighborhood. Fantastic for my Project 365, likely good for my health as well. It’s a win-win!
It is remarkable the spark that one little second of video can trigger.
It’s also been a great lesson in training myself to see opportunities for videos everywhere I go. Not every clip in my Project 365 was a great shot, by any means. Most of them were average. But practice is SO essential to learning a skill that I know I saw improvement over the year.
If you’re planning on starting your own Project 365 – whatever that looks like for you – here’s what I’d suggest. Pick something manageable so that it’s less overwhelming. If I had tried to edit a new video every day, I never would have made it. But 1 second was a comfortable daily barrier to overcome (the hardest part was remembering to do it! Ha!). Also – set up a system to keep yourself accountable. For me, it was posting monthly recaps. I knew they were coming, so I was more diligent to keep up with my video taking.
That’s the key to any big project, isn’t it? Setting manageable goals + holding yourself accountable.
If Project 365 has taught me anything, it’s the immense value in capturing our everyday moments. Time passes SO very fast – like the wind – yet having this tiny glimpse of each of my days helps me to remember. In 2016, there were days I held those I love + days they were far away. There were days full of tears + others full of laughter. Days I sat in front of my computer + days I flew halfway around the world. But every last one of them, beautiful.
Want to start your own Video a Day project? A great place to start is my free 5 Secrets to an Amazing Travel Film – I designed this course for capturing your vacation, but it will give you some great ideas for moments to look for even in your everyday life that will create the most memorable video postcard of your year. Sign up here!
