ESCANABA — In the loft of Escanaba’s Bonifas Arts Center you will find the works of 18 people who engaged in hands-on activities for 100 days to bring out their creative sides. Each entry shows the progression of an artist’s work, starting from Day One to the final 100th day.

The project is called “The 100 Day Project.” For 100 days, people challenge themselves to bring their creative side out by working on something they are interested in, or excites them. The project helps people discover the value of practice and how breakthroughs can happen by making a commitment and sticking to it.

On Jan. 22, the Bonifas restarted the project for the third year. The number of people participating in the project has grown since it was launched three years ago.

“The first time we organized the 100 Day Project, we had six people involved. During the second year, there were 18 people involved,” said Bonifas Gallery Coordinator and Administrative Assistant Kate Oman. “This time we have 18 to 20 people interested.”

Artist Diane Kribs-Mays was part of a group in Marquette that currently organizes the 100 Day Project. She brought the idea to Oman and Bonifas’ Executive Director Sue Roll. Oman found it can be quite challenging at times.

“Everyone is different in how they work, and there are various ways of getting through the 100 days,” said Oman. “Through my second 100 days I found I was very inflexible, and I’ve learned to not be so rigid. Unfortunately, I didn’t get to finish my 100 day project last time.”

The program started in Marquette around 2013, according to Oman. Kribs-Mays said she has known people to use the concept of the project for other activities than creating art.

“I know a guy who worked on changing his office in the 100 days, and someone worked on losing weight,” said Kribs-Mays. “As long as you’re working on something that interests you every day for a specific amount of time, it doesn’t have to be art.”

Bonifas is running their current program until April 30, but recommends people who are interested decide what interests them and prepare for the next 100 Day Project — or go out on their own.

Some tips for the project include keeping it simple when deciding what to work on for 100 days, creating some rules to stay focused, doing something hands-on with the project every day, and create a schedule — when to start, stop, how much time will be spent on the project each day, and when.

Participants are encouraged to work on the project in the same space each day, be aware of obstacles that may create difficulties to work on the project, and if a day is missed, mark the day and continue the project on the next day.

For more information contact the Bonifas Arts Center at 906-786-3833 or go to www.the100dayproject.com.