Skip to main content

Bed a Day

Bed a Day is a project I worked on every single day of 2014.  It was the first big project of this type that I tackled – I set myself the goal of taking a photo of the bed I woke up in every day

You can see the Bed a Day video at:  Bed a Day video

I was not sure I could do it really.  Would I forget?  Would I be upset with myself if I failed??  Was it a ridiculous task?

Here are the statistics of “Bed a Day” 2014:
·        
  •     Total number of beds I slept in - 22

  •          Pets that got on a bed I slept in – 1 

  •          How many stranger’s beds I slept in - 4

  •          How many hotel beds I slept in - 11

  •          Total number of nights I slept in hotel beds - 23

  •          Number of states I slept in - 12

  •          How many times I woke up and took my photo before David was out of bed – around 164 (some of the photos it is hard to see if he is under the big, fluffy covers or not)

  •          Nights I spent in my “main bed” - 246

  •          Nights I spent in my “secondary bed” - 55

  •          Number of days I forgot to take a photo – 0 (though one time on vacation I forgot in the morning and had to frantically take it in the evening when I remembered)

  •          How many beds of family members I slept in – 3

  •          How many beds of friends I slept in - 3

  •          Number of people that slept in any of the beds with me – 1

  •          Estimated total number of photos taken for this project - 1335

And here are the things I learned

  •           As OCD as the project sounds, it was relaxing and rewarding.  I loved having that one moment every day to focus solely on the photo project.  It felt like a “check in” time and also like “checking something off the mental to do list” before I had even walked down the hall to the bathroom to start my day.

  •          It reminded me of my hesitancy to COMPLETE things.  I have put off compiling, editing, selecting music, and making my video for over ONE YEAR.  It is now January 23, 2016 and I am just now completing the project that I could have finished January 1, 2015.  I do not like “goodbyes”, even to projects.  And this was my first big “do one thing every single day” project, so it was important to me.  I didn’t want to see it end. 

  •          It reinforced a new concept of myself – that of artist.  That was a name bestowed by a person I met this year, and as hesitant as I was to accept it when she gave me the title, I realized throughout the year that it was indeed fitting and how proud I was to have been given it.

  •          It made me consider WHO I was doing the project for.  To try and make it “go viral”?  For the people whose beds appear in it?  In the end I settled on the concept that I was making it for MYSELF and am happy/proud of that.  I usually do things for OTHERS (a concept that was ingrained in me as a child) and I am learning to do more for me.

  •          It made me appreciate my travels more.  I have always liked travelling, but seeing my morning journey laid out before me like this makes me smile and reminds me how much fun it is to explore the world.  I did not travel as much in 2015.  I hope I get back on the road more again this year. 

  •          It made me feel grounded.

  •          It gave me a sense of purpose.

  •          It reinforced my belief that wherever I am (especially if David is there with me) – that is home.
     Watch the Bed a Day video at:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CjNsxAaA__o

Comments

Anonymous said…
Those were some quite beautiful beds/bedrooms! You are something else. Love it!!!!!!!
Anonymous said…
Those were some quite beautiful beds/bedrooms! You are something else. Love it!!!!!!!
STG said…
One of the beautiful bedrooms was YOUR guest room, Kirsten! :) Thanks for letting me spend the night at your house.
Unknown said…
I think your partner sleeps later than you on most days and he looks very comfortable in those beds. :) It was also delightful visiting and sleeping in your guest beds too (both states).
STG said…
:) I must say, the bed photos with David lounging after I'm up make me smile. I'm glad you got to visit our guest needs too!!

Popular posts from this blog

The Days Are Getting Shorter

The days are getting shorter. The sun, that brilliant star that lights our lives, is setting earlier.   Bit by bit, every evening.   This time of year is always a bit sad for me.   It is a form of closure.   Saying “goodbye” to another summer.   Somehow, it is hard for me to couch it as saying “hello” to another winter.   In my mind I know that is logical, but in my heart, another summer has passed to mourn. I haven’t felt my best the last couple of days.   I put it down to stress – the big annual fundraiser I host is quickly approaching, and at the same time my job, my main source of income, is being threatened to disappear (health insurance along with it).   So yeah, stress could make my body not function properly, right?   Only, as the second day of feeling “off” wore on, it became harder and harder to ignore that things just weren’t right.   It came to a head on a 25-minute car ride.   We had met a friend for dinner and had a lovely time.   It was so fun catching up

The Girl Who Can't Ride a Bike

I am “the girl who can’t ride a bike”. I guess to be accurate, I should say that I WAS “the girl who can’t ride a bike”.   But it was such a big part of my identity growing up, that the never formalized (but often teased about) nickname stuck in my psyche. You know how most kids love to jump on their bikes and pedal around the neighborhood once they have figured out how to balance, brake, and GO?   Yeah, that wasn’t me.   I wasn’t that kid. I am not sure WHAT really happened. The one thing I do remember is being on a bike in my family’s garage in Omaha, Nebraska trying to ride my bike.   It must’ve been winter, otherwise, why wouldn’t I have been outdoors??   But I think my foot slipped off the pedal and I know for sure my knee hit the handlebar.   It hurt.   I remember crying. But I am guessing that it hurt my pride more than it hurt my knee.   I think I was already past the age where kids were “supposed” to ride a bike.   But then and there I must’ve secretly made

The Presents

We are old. Giving gifts has always meant a lot to me.  I was raised in a household that valued gifts, valued “things” actually.  At Christmas time, the base of our tree would be piled hiiiigh with presents wrapped in brightly colored paper tied with neatly curled ribbons.    Birthdays would mean being spoiled by more gifts.   Even Valentine’s Day came with a present.   So, without being overtly taught, I learned that love was shown by giving something tangible.   As I became an adult, I noticed people older than me asking for things for the holidays that I thought were silly – cheese, wine, nuts…   “Those aren’t PRESENTS,” I remember thinking. “Presents are touchable, physical things – things to be KEPT, not to be consumed.”   So, when I found my life partner, I showered him with GIFTS.   Gifts wrapped just as I had been subconsciously taught must be wrapped in beautiful paper, tied tight with a bow.   But it didn’t take long for me to notice that my love and