MANILA, PHILIPPINES– Inktober has become a yearly internet-wide phenomenon for the art community. Kicked off by Jake Parker in 2009, the series of drawing challenges started as a creative exercise to promote good drawing habits.
The #Inktober 2020 Prompt List! pic.twitter.com/sqGHB6Ho9k
— Inktober (@inktober) September 1, 2020
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Over the last few months, many people have picked up on new hobbies and one of them is to go back to drawing. However, it’s not always a nice and sunny day to pick up a pen and start working.
The social media challenge takes on prompts to guide the artists to do let their imagination run wild and translate it all to an illustration. Thirty one days, and thirty one drawings is this movement’s basic tenet.
It takes mental space to finish drawings everyday
While the process of creating art is generally considered to be therapeutic, it can take a toll on creators especially if they are juggling their passion projects with work, school, family, and daily chores.
It’s also worth noting that participating in challenges like this one is a time commitment. Even allotting 10 minutes in routine does not guarantee results and more likely than not, it will eat up one hour or more in a day. Not to mention that it is mentally demanding too.
First time participant Christian Miralles II (@ashamillerlove) shares how he fares on Inktober.
“It’s really challenging to me. Since the main goal is to improve the skills of every aspiring artist and also to be inspired by others but at the end of the day, it’s still a good self reward.”
Miralles is not alone in taking the challenge for self-improvement. For Kevin Javellana (@kevinjavellana), the exercise pays off in better skills.
“I like joining Inktober to challenge myself to be better in my illustration work. It is also my way to exercise my creativity for future commissions.”
“Inktober lets me focus on improving my skill and develop positive drawing habits. It also pushes my creative limits,” shares artist Jose Victor (@doodlejoeph).
It’s discouraging to see low reach and engagement on your posts
As much gratifying as it is to be a part of the community that has grown around Inktober, not everybody succeeds in gaining the appreciation they yearn for. But for some, artistic pursuits remain as a form of expression and not so much about the engagement on social media they get.
“It’s a way for me to vent out some of the innermost thoughts I couldn’t share to anyone. The lines, the brushworks and the shapes portray a vivid picture of my chaotic mind. And while it’s just a 30 day challenge, pouring out what I feel within these artworks really help me find peace. I hope I could continue doing this even after the challenge ends,” explains Marc Fernandez (@marcoliverfernandez).
Artist Frances Mary Mendoza (@sirenafilipina_ph) also shares that Inktober is something she has always looked forward to. The movement is also her way of inspiring younger artists to grow the habit.
“We’re cooking up a mini group show together with six other artists(including a preteen girl) to showcase our Inktober series, to simply inspire other artists specially young ones to pick up the habit to sketch or doodle more. I guess that’s what inktober is all about. Create and respect!”
Nearly on its last week, Inktober has already reached more than two million tags on Instagram. But localized communities have started to sprout in light of the recent controversies that surrounded the creator of the challenge.
The different hashtags take on their local versions of the challenge such as #Pinktober, which raises awareness on breast cancer; #ArtTrober2020, a no-rules, no-nonsense movement, and the self-explanatory #Punktober.
However and whichever movement artists decide to participate in, it’’s never a bad idea to turn a hobby into a skill.
Outside of movements like this one, everybody learns and creates at their own pace. After all, October is not the only month to sharpen up ones’ pencils and put them to good work.
