Amazing Tiny Projects and...The Winners!

Published: Sun, 10/06/19

A little while ago, I announced the second annual Tiny Project Challenge.

The premise is very simple:

Choose a tiny project. Any kind of project—bake some biscuits, write a short poem, draw a picture of your dog, organize the books on your shelf according to color, interview your grandma about her childhood and record her stories on your phone, or whatever you want to do—and complete it.

That’s it.

Just pick something tiny—and do it.

Keep it small. Not a big, overwhelming task. Something tiny. Make something that feels beautiful to you. Enjoy the sweet feeling of accomplishment.

I invited y’all to email me and share a little info about your Tiny Project. Perhaps a photo or two, if you want.

I received many, many, many Tiny Project submissions. I loved every single one. Many brought me to tears. (Thank you.)

With great delight, I’d like to showcase a few Tiny Projects that got submitted (note: I requested permission from each of these people just to make sure it's cool to share their projects publicly) along with the Winners of the 2019 Tiny Project Challenge. (Although, of course, everyone is a winner, and you’re all amazing, and we’re all precious children of God, perfect and whole just as you are, no trophy required, etc., etc!)

As you scroll down and peek at these Tiny Projects, perhaps one of them will ignite a little spark of ooh-yeah-hmm-something-ness inside your heart.

Perhaps you will find yourself thinking, “Hmm, if I was going to complete a Tiny Project today, what would it be? What excites me? What would feel amazing?”

Whatever it is, seize ten minutes and do it.

You will feel so good. You will not regret it.

. . .

Kat says, “My Tiny Project is an alcohol ink painting. Usually when I make these they’re uniformly pretty. I like that this one has ugly parts.”

Sarah wrote to share, “I hand-knotted a friendship bracelet for the first time in more than 20 years. I decided to embrace the nostalgia."

Nicole explained that her Tiny Project is…Family Time. She says, “My sister and I have booked flights back to South Africa. We're going to surprise our Mom and Dad. The last time the 4 of us were together was 5 years ago!”

Brandi started a tiny podcast called One Minute Spark for Artists and WHOA-OMG here it is!

Chenay wrote a blog post about her two year old son's hatred of hair cuts.

Lauryn made a button necklace which she snail-mailed to me! (Lauryn, I love it, and it’s currently hanging in the local yoga studio, which is basically my second home. Thank you.)

Laura painted a picture of Keane, her family's dog.

Reecie decided to do some "doodling with no rules. It didn’t have to look like anything or be anything, just my hand moving across the Bristol board."

For her Tiny Project, Gillian decided to make a special "thank you" note for the awesome baristas at her favorite coffee place.

Tiny Project Challenge 2019: Winners

Xandra courageously posted a video of herself singing a Taylor Swift song called “Jump Then Fall,” which made me cry. Xandra, I know it’s not easy to post something online when it feels raw and rough-draft-y and not perfectly polished...but you LEAPT right into the moment and into my heart. Thank you.

X: you've won an Aloha Box filled with magical things from Hawaii like macadamia nuts and candles and coconut oil and more. Please check your email for a personal note from me, so I can get your snail mail address. Thank you.

Rebecca had a chance encounter with a guy who works at a cool non-profit called the Ice Age Trail Alliance. He was feeling discouraged, so Rebecca sent him a hopeful letter and mini-book of encouragement. That. Is. Amazing.

R: you've won a collection of several of books—books that I wrote, books written by clients of mine, and books from my Tiny Press publishing imprint. A whole box of book love. Please check your email for a personal note from me, so I can get your snail mail address. Thank you.

Josiane is working on a fairly big project: organizing a fundraiser for an organization that provides services to the Deaf community. Josiane took a few brave tiny steps towards reaching her big goal—and she even made a checklist to track her tiny victories! Well done!

J: you won a complimentary ticket to the Tiny Book Workshop (but, haha, you already know that, because I notified you a few weeks ago and the workshop was last weekend, and it was great to have you there! But I wanted to publicly congratulate you, nonetheless, because your project is amazing and you are awesome.)

. . .

Thank you, EVERYONE, for sharing your tiny and medium and big projects, and for sharing your sweet minds and hearts with me.

Let’s do this again next year. Or sooner.

And today, why not choose a tiny project and do it.

Pick something and just go go goooooo get it done.

Because you’re alive. Because you can. Because it just feels so good to make things. Because it’s tiny, so it won’t take much time. Because tiny things are a big deal. Because today is not over yet.

-Alex

PS. Lately, music-wise, I'm having a bluesy rocky soul folky moment.

PPS. I made another yoga music playlist with a Celtic, choral, harp, angelic-sorta feeling.

PPPS. I went to a tropical fruit tasting (like a wine tasting, but with fruit!) so obviously I had to make a fruit-inspired music playlist which we played at the event. ¡La papaya es una fruta tropical muy popular!

PPPPS. So...I guess I'm like, secretly, kinda, sorta, occasionally...a fitness trainer now? Haha. If you live on the Big Island of Hawaii, sign up for this and work out with me ten days in a row. Cardio. HIIT. Tabata. Dance. Foam rolling. Awesome music. Beach party. It will be dope. Promise.

PPPPPS. Curtis, did you know I still have the tiny skinny little letter you mailed me? I do. I look at it often. It’s one of the most precious pieces of snail mail I’ve ever gotten. Thank you.

PPPPPPS. Denise: you mentioned you applied for the Animated Storytelling Project at the Banff Center for the Arts. I wanted to wish you good luck with your application! I hope you get into the exact program you want—or, something even better.

PPPPPPPS. If there are some typos in this newsletter, my apologies, and OH WELL thot's how teh crookiy crumblez somtims.

PPPPPPPPS. HAHAHAHAHA.