Close Out the 2025 Project — Lessons Learned
As we come to the end of our 2025 project, it feels important to pause, take a breath, and reflect. Not just on what we created, but on how we created—and perhaps more importantly, what we learned along the way.
For most of us, this year was a learning curve.
Early on, we set out with a clear intention: to step away from weekly creative challenges.
We wanted space.
Time to think bigger.
We outlined a larger project, something with room to breathe.
But fairly quickly, we found ourselves pulled back into old habits—weekly prompts, recurring deadlines, familiar rhythms.
You could call it a cry for structure.
Or a search for those small weekly dopamine kicks.
Either way, it taught us something important.
Some people enjoyed it.
Others felt disconnected.
And some quietly carved out their own projects within the larger framework.
When a few of us met in Skaerbaek this year, those differences came into focus.
Late nights turned into open-hearted conversations about what worked, what didn’t, and why.
And deep down, we already knew the answer.
Taking Stock
We needed to take stock.
To reflect.
Focus first on our own creative journeys.
To be an inspiration for others—without falling into the trap of weekly chores and routines.
Looking back, many of the exercises we did in the last months were, in essence, a recap.
We were walking a path we had already walked before.
A familiar road of 52 challenges.
Borrowing ideas from the past without fully owning them anew.
We weren’t inspiring ourselves.
We weren’t pushing our boundaries.
And we certainly weren’t venturing into places we hadn’t been before.
The creative journey ahead
And that led us to a key lesson.
One should stay true to one’s own creative journey.
Being an inspiration isn’t about giving instructions or handing out small tasks to improve a skill.
It’s about doing the work yourself.
About being honest.
Curious.
Brave enough to explore new territory—and letting others draw inspiration from that.
At their own pace.
At their own rhythm.
So, we close the 2025 project with clarity—not because it failed, but because it showed us what matters.
As a crew, we’re setting out on something new in 2026
A very special project close to our heart—one we’ll share here on the blog and talk about on Discord.
We’ll invite you behind the scenes when it feels right and meaningful.
Not constantly.
Not performatively.
But intentionally.
And hopefully, along the way, we’ll inspire some of you.
Whether that leads to a single image.
A short movie.
Or a full project of your own, be it those dreaded significant twelve or a full stop-motion reel.
Only time will tell.
Cinderella
In a second post, we’ll talk about what comes next.
For now, we’ll just say this:
Under the codename Cinderella, a new project is taking shape.
One where we will explore our own creative journey and share that with all of you.
At our own pace.
More soon.
The PS Section
PS. We will not be having a weekly challenge in 2026. We know some of you will be disappointed, and we understand that.
PPS. For those of you who created a body of work in 2025 as part of our 2025 project—congratulations. You managed what some of us didn’t. And it may help you to create your own 2026 project along the way.
Taking plastic places.
Exploring my inner child and following Me2’s wanderlust into untold stories for generations to come.
100% Stuck In Plastic.
One more year has gone, one more time the crew brought magic and helped people develop their skills.
I didn’t participate but saw from the distance the weekly production.
Once again that was a great job everyone did, and I say a huge bravo to the crew for handling this.
And a very special and warm thank you for the Skaerbaek experience.