{"id":10985,"date":"2025-12-03T13:52:44","date_gmt":"2025-12-03T13:52:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/rutha.org\/index.php\/2025\/12\/03\/100-days-portraits-of-quality-time-by-aj-nielsen\/"},"modified":"2025-12-03T13:52:44","modified_gmt":"2025-12-03T13:52:44","slug":"100-days-portraits-of-quality-time-by-aj-nielsen","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/rutha.org\/index.php\/2025\/12\/03\/100-days-portraits-of-quality-time-by-aj-nielsen\/","title":{"rendered":"100 Days: Portraits of Quality Time by AJ Nielsen"},"content":{"rendered":"

100 Days is an annual project at New York City\u2019s School of Visual Arts<\/a> that was founded by Michael Bierut. Each year, the students of the school\u2019s Master\u2019s in Branding Program spend 100 days documenting their process with a chosen creative endeavor. This year, we\u2019re showcasing each student in the program by providing a peek into ten days of their project. You can keep an eye on everyone\u2019s work in the SVA 100 Days projects gallery<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n


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AJ Nielsen<\/a> is a brand consultant driving business growth through cultural intelligence and storytelling expertise. For his 100 Days project, Nielsen devoted 10 minutes each day to drawing his father’s portrait (in person or over FaceTime).<\/p>\n

In Nielsen’s words:<\/p>\n

“The enemy of grief is time. Yet the aspiration of quality time is often out of reach for family members struggling to accept the diagnosis of a loved one. This project aims to equip viewers with \u201cgrief prevention\u201d tools through access to the ordinary. In this case, drawing my father’s portrait for 10 minutes daily created an attainable structure for our time together. As a person living with Parkinson\u2019s disease, his symptoms are full-body and ever-changing. To acknowledge the disease without allowing it to define our time together, we conducted a simple wellness check on a 1-7 scale. I hope this project inspires others to discover micro ways to form real-life connections with those they love and to see that the cumulative e\ufb00ect of small actions creates meaningful impact.”<\/em><\/p>\n

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I hope this project inspires others to discover micro ways to form real-life connections with those they love and to see that the cumulative e\ufb00ect of small actions creates meaningful impact.<\/p>\n

AJ Nielsen<\/cite><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Find his project on Instagram at @ordinarytogetherness<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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Archival box containing 100 drawings on 8.5\u201d \u00d7 11\u201d copy paper, made with Sharpie marker. July 10th (#100\/100).<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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Archival box containing 100 drawings on 8.5\u201d \u00d7 11\u201d copy paper, made with Sharpie marker.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n