I failed #inktober, but here's what I learned...
INTRO
Wake up at 8 am. Make my morning coffee. Crack open the window to let in natural light and the morning breeze. Sit down to my drafting table, dust off my favorite sketchbook and pull out my favorite pens (Muji and Papermate Flair). Headphones? Check. Music? On. Take a sip of coffee. Let the magical sketching begin.
For those unfamiliar with Inktober, it takes place in October (hence the clever name) where artists all over the world do the sketching challenge by doing one ink drawing a day the entire month and post it to Instagram with the hashtag #inktober. According to Google, Mr. Jake Parker created it in 2009 with the intention of improving inking skills and developing positive drawing habits.
I thought this would be a great opportunity to sketch something other than sneakers for a change. So i thought of the theme “Sketching Nature” to give myself some content guidance with plenty of options. The intro was how I imagined every morning to perfectly align, however this being my first time participating in this challenge, I was soon slapped in the face by the hand of reality.
MY EXPERIENCE
Naturally, I started actually sketching on October 2nd, but not to worry I just did 2 sketches and posted them. Off to a great start already. Coming up with content to sketch was flowing in the beginning, jumping from bonsai trees to grasshoppers “Sketching Nature” was great because almost anything can be considered “nature.”
However, after just one week, trying to think of something interesting was like pulling teeth, even though the theme is so broad it almost seemed too overwhelming and nothing seemed interesting enough. I was really starting to miss the point of Inktober and dreaded waking up to sit through another creative block. Creative blocks feel like opening a door and walking through only to find nothing in the room, but just another door, that you once again walk into and find, yet again an empty room. On repeat. Very uncomfortable and inhumane.
Then, just when things were starting to turn sour, I lost my phone. I’m pretty sure it was stolen, but whoever has it, enjoy, material things don’t affect me. It took me 10 days to get a replacement phone for various reason, work, Verizon, laziness, etc. I even contemplated just living phone-less for a moment, then snapped back to reality and got a phone. During this time, I completely stopped sketching because I justified, there would be no way for me to post it to Instagram so what’s the use? Even though, I could have used my iPad to post, or continued sketching daily at the very least and post everything when I get my phone back. Procrastination affects me severely, so I put it off for 10 days.
What came next was neither planned or anticipated and was the one piece of gold that I took from my entire experience. On the final Sunday of not sketching, I was walking through a local farmers market and stumbled upon a company called Imperfect Produce. They take mis-shaped produce that most restaurants and grocery stores reject purely for aesthetic reasons and ship you this ‘ugly’ produce for a discounted price. Not only did I love the concept of eliminating food waste, the ugly produce was the truly inspiring. It was interesting, challenging, and full of potential for my next sketch series.
I got my phone the next day. Sat down and sketched 10 sketches in a row of ‘ugly’ produce and posted them the same day. I tagged Imperfect Produce and am still waiting for some sort of hook up, but it’s okay I’m sure they’ll come around soon enough. The point being, that I found a gem in this sketching challenge, though it wasn’t the traditional way of daily sketches I did arrive to a happy finding in the end.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
When coming up with content to sketch develop a focused and interesting “Series”
Not only did I genuinely enjoy sketching the ‘Ugly Produce Series’, the results show that I just cared about it more compared to my other sketches. Working in series takes the pressure off having to spend too much time thinking of what to sketch next. This may seem obvious to some, but I experienced the joy of this for the first time and would encourage you to try it out.
Importance of having a “series” mindset
A non-sketching example that I believe showcases the success of working with a “series” mindset is Jay-Z, artist, businessman, and entrepreneur. When he came out an album he would label it Volume 1, with the intention of dropping 2 more albums after to end up with a collection. The added benefit to doing this not only gives the consumer anticipation for the next album, but gives the collector the satisfaction of having all 3 albums to complete it. As a creator it also gives you enough pressure to fulfill the series.
Make your work public, it’s okay don’t be afraid, you’ll be better for it
A large part of posting your work online can be scary because everyone is a bit self-conscious, and afraid of judgements of others. I can definitely say I am, especially for Inktober and having to sketch daily. I was worried people would notice that I haven’t been posting every day and come off as lazy, but in reality people really don’t care that much. It was very much an internal battle with myself to stick to something consistently, but I am glad I did.
Things rarely work out as planned, so welcome change when it comes and you’ll enjoy it
The plan I had in my head at the beginning of Inktober was definitely not fulfilled. I ended up doing sketches in spurts and posted multiple sketches at a time just to keep up with the current day of the month. However, at the end of it all, I had 30 sketches (chose not to do 31 in order to keep my grid in order), and got to sketch things other than sneakers so, one could say: success.
Do more of what brings you joy and your work will reflect it
I am not the best when it comes to discipline, however, I have found a way to trick myself into doing what needs to be done by finding ways to enjoy it. The process for creating things can be a grueling one and tedious at times, but I’ve found that if I believe in what I’m doing and genuinely have an interest in it, the quality of my work reflects this as well.
LINKS
