Take the #ONETHING Creative Challenge!

Trish from the FoldFactory.com said it’s her New Year’s Resolution to get you to be more creative in 2014. I share her sentiment, only my call to CMYK action is on the individual level, not the commercial realm. I’ve been a busy print geek lately; I’ll tell you what’s been occupying so much of my time and energy…but only if you’ll agree to dedicate this year to your personal creative growth.

The Birth of the #OneThing Movement

I’m proud to call myself the #onething ISKRA (that’s Russian for “the Spark” as in “The Spark that ignites the revolution”).

It all started with a simple post in Paul Biedermann’s re:Design Google Plus community I help moderate. I’d wanted to focus more on Adobe Illustrator as well as Photography, but I needed some motivation. I’ve heard that talking about your goals with friends helps you follow through because of the social pressure to perform. Nobody wants to be left out or called out as a slacker, and you usually discover that your friends share your ambitions.

So I told put this up for discussion:

“Idea—it doesn’t seem as though I’ll get my website will be (sic) finished before 2014, but I’m thinking a little beyond that I guess. I really want to develop my skills this coming year, so I’m thinking about taking a self-imposed challenge to create something, 1 thing, every day. Obviously this means outside of regular work. Has anybody done this before or want to join me?”

To my surprise, my friends not only expressed their support, they took the concept and ran with it. Our resident programmer/designer Drew Myler suggested we add an online sharing element to make our personal challenges social. He took my phrase, “1 thing,” and turned it into an easy to remember, catchy hashtag, #onething.

And we were off.

8 Reasons Why You Should Join In the Fun

I’m telling you about this because the #onething movement needs YOU. Don’t believe me? I’ve taken the liberty of listing 8 reasons why you should participate in this most imaginative endeavor.

• #8) You Set Your Own Pace- I realize that creating every day for its own sake would be extremely demanding for most people. Fortunately, #onething isn’t a competition. That means you’re free to contribute as little or as often as you like or are able. Most people committed to once a week while others are doing small stuff daily, such as iPhone snapshots.
• #7) Incentive to Explore New Networks- If you’re involved in marketing, then you already know about the unfortunate changes in Facebook’s algorithm. The good news is that there’s life outside the Book, and #onething is the perfect way to get your feet wet on other social sites, such as Twitter, Google Plus, Instagram, and Pinterest.
• #6) Increase Your Social Cred- As soon as you start posting, you’ll get introduced to an elite group of exceptional individuals I’m fortunate enough to call my friends. And these fine folks will take time out of their busy days to comment on your posts, provide feedback, and get to know you on a deeper level. Boom, you’ll have an instant, engaged following and be associated with the community’s achievements.
• #5) Get Inspired by Other #OneThingers- Do yourself a favor and just search the #onething stream on G+. If you’re not inspired by the eclectic mix of photos, designs, and even a handmade scarf, then you have no soul.
• #4) Hone Your Skills- My original goal was to get better as a photographer and designer, especially in Adobe Illustrator. I believe I’ve already advanced and it’s only January! I’m confident that you’ll see similar results. All you have to do is try and have fun in the process.
• #3) Develop New Interests- Do you have a creative pursuit you’ve always wanted to get into, but never got around to it? #OneThing gives you a reason to dust off your camera or crack open a cookbook. In fact, I’ve made it a point to change things up to keep my stream interesting.
• #2) Finish Old Projects- This one’s a no-brainer. You don’t have to start anything new. Just finish editing that giant folder of photos you’ve been ignoring. Write the short story you abandoned half way through.

And finally, the main reason why I’m writing this article…

• #1) We Need More Things That Incorporate Print- We’ve seen a few printed submissions so far. Matthew Price of Octopus Creative made an awesome cardboard drone out of an Amazon.com package. I used a bunch of exquisite Mohawk paper samples to spell out the words #OneThing. But that’s about it as far as print goes—until now.

In true print geek fashion, I got my boss to print a copy of the very first poster I designed to promote the challenge. The digital graphic made its way across the web, and now it’s time for this viral design to go offline. So now that you know what the #onething creative challenge is all about, tell me, Are You In?

Katherine serves as the Online Marketing Director at PrintFirm.com. She fell into online marketing in 2010, and built her career around this dynamic field. She earned her B.A. in Political Science from California State University, Northridge (Summa). When she’s not writing, Katherine enjoys photography, skateboarding, graphic design, and chasing her dog around with her husband.

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