Well, for a number of years I tried NaNoWriMo and suck majorly at it every time - maybe three days? So instead I'm trying to sew for at least 30 minutes a day. I've been away from my art quilting since my husband died 18 months ago. I just spent an hour in the studio two days ago and it felt wonderful. Here's to 30 days of sewing and completing commissions!
I feel like this is what I needed this morning as well. Woke up with leftover feelings of dejection which isn't fun. I write scattered prose and poetry here and there but I might try to tackle writing this quasi autobiography/maybe self-help book idea I've had for a while about having Inattentive ADD not only when I was a kid but now as a young adult at 30. I've looked and looked but never can find a book that's not just for parents and also is funny & a relatable book that I'd want to read and feel comforted by. That or just a YA fiction book. Who knows? Anyway, thank you! ~
Early September I took a 1000 day challenge :). It's called the Ray Bradbury Challenge, and it entails reading 1 poem, 1 essay and 1 story every day for 1000 days. One month in, it's way more challenging but way more rewarding than I had initially thought.
I just finished Inktober, which was HARD but it meant my notebook was open every day, and that was all that mattered. I'm going to try keep that momentum up!
I've been thinking for a long time that I'd like to do a drawing every day--nothing fancy, just something for fun. I'd been pondering a 100-Day project, but maybe I'll start with 30 days and see where that gets me. Thanks for the push, Austin!
I dread the clock’s changing every year in November. I wish I could instead prepare for nanowrimo. I’m gonna try. Imma put pen to paper every night this month I usually dread so much. My nephew took his life a little over a year ago and I’m going to try to bring him alive on the page. There’ll be no failure. Only effort expended.
I have, several years in a row, tried to do the inktober or other October art challenge and have failed. I thought I just didn't have the stamina, but that's not true. In 2021, I completed a 365 day phenology challenge that I gave to myself. I was tracking the animals and birds in my yard and neighborhood. I tracked the weather, the moon cycle and the about of day light for every day of the year, plus the last week of 2020 (a practice week). The last 5 weeks were very challenging. The world had gone dormant and I was tired as the holidays approached, but I persevered. So why couldn't/can't I complete a 30 day art challenge? I think the answer is that the prompts didn't stimulate my mind. Or ideas would come at times when I couldn't sit down and create. So I stopped and thought I was a failure. This year, I took Mike Lowery's Getting Paid to Draw class. Before signing on I took his Procreate class that's available on Skillshare to see if I liked his teaching style. He's a huge advocate of drawing every day. He shared his blob drawing process and I started making blobs in the morning creating things from those blobs. It was easy, fun, and didn't take a lot of time. There was also a Sketchbook Revival series that I happened upon about that time and learned a bunch of fun sketchbook activities. I was having so much fun and trying new things and before I new it, I was making art of some kind every day. I'm still doing it. I have found that when I start my day with a creative pursuit, even a page of blob sketches, I am more creative all day long. This year, I have written 5 picture book scripts, created a dummy with final art for a young reader graphic novel and am now working on the art for an older picture book script. I feel like the incremental daily drawings have been playful and unattached to a big outcome which frees my mind up to just create and have fun even when it's a project I hope to have published some day.
I wonder if the monthly challenges feel too tied to the approval of others and that's where I would get too in my head about what to create? I share some of my work on social media, but I keep a lot of it to myself. I don't want to worry about what others think about my play time and my bigger projects are shared to a limited audience of critique partners, agents, and editors for now.
This is a big YES! My 5 separate 100 day projects (same thing, longer commitment) literally changed my life! I lead groups in them now- it’s positively addicting to watch people build their own amazing body of work and get better and better!! Thank you so much for all you share Austin! I’m so grateful!🐘🌸🌈
I'm in a big transitional period in my life right now, so I'm gonna give myself space to deal with that instead. But some success stories: in 2017 I did Inktober (or rather a spinoff called Drawlloween), and 31 days of small drawings on cue cards turned out to be exactly what I needed to build a drawing habit. 5 years later, I put "make art" on my daily to-do list and it's the item I have the best success rate with (better than "brush my teeth").
What a great way to begin a new month! About a year ago I had a dream in which someone asked me, "Is this where you do something creative every day for a thousand days?" Because of who was asking (my friend's son Drew), I realized it would be drawing. I would love to say that I have done one a day since then. I have not. My tally is in the back of my journals and I believe it could be helpful to have a larger version on my refrigerator. I do not have small children. I have the luxury of being retired. I do still have some set time commitments. What i have recently learned is that if I don't do what matters sooner, I won't do it later. Right now, in addition to the drawing there is getting outside. Just back from a walk where I drew a small skeleton in my neighbor's tree.
I’ve always wanted to improve my drawing ability and I’ve been thinking of it these last few days. I’m going to go buy another sketchbook while I need to kill time before my flight back to LA. I read through most of the comments and saw a theme of loved ones passing and I think of my brother who passed of a drug overdose in March. He loved to draw, graffiti, and tattoo so I plan to honor his memory with this new project.
I think I'll try your 30 day challenge. I'm not sure yet what I'll focus on but I like the sound of doing this. I did a 30 day art challenge during the pandemic and it was amazing how motivating this was and what I was able to create. Here's to November!
I tried it once before. It was some years ago - I don't remember what happened but I am left with a vague and good impression. This time, I'm going to mostly write notes from an imaginary autobiography of a famous jazz player who "coincidentally" recounts some of favorite memories from my life, as if they were his. We'll see where he / it goes. Thanks.
While I still have a drawer full of leftover Halloween candy, I can commit to "not eating crap" for my 30-day challenge ... holidays be damned. Do it now, and I can do it.
Well, for a number of years I tried NaNoWriMo and suck majorly at it every time - maybe three days? So instead I'm trying to sew for at least 30 minutes a day. I've been away from my art quilting since my husband died 18 months ago. I just spent an hour in the studio two days ago and it felt wonderful. Here's to 30 days of sewing and completing commissions!
I feel like this is what I needed this morning as well. Woke up with leftover feelings of dejection which isn't fun. I write scattered prose and poetry here and there but I might try to tackle writing this quasi autobiography/maybe self-help book idea I've had for a while about having Inattentive ADD not only when I was a kid but now as a young adult at 30. I've looked and looked but never can find a book that's not just for parents and also is funny & a relatable book that I'd want to read and feel comforted by. That or just a YA fiction book. Who knows? Anyway, thank you! ~
Early September I took a 1000 day challenge :). It's called the Ray Bradbury Challenge, and it entails reading 1 poem, 1 essay and 1 story every day for 1000 days. One month in, it's way more challenging but way more rewarding than I had initially thought.
I'm also documenting my progress (to keep myself accountable and share interesting finds with others). If anyone's interested, you can follow it here - https://fictitious.substack.com/s/ray-bradbury-challenge
I just finished Inktober, which was HARD but it meant my notebook was open every day, and that was all that mattered. I'm going to try keep that momentum up!
I've been thinking for a long time that I'd like to do a drawing every day--nothing fancy, just something for fun. I'd been pondering a 100-Day project, but maybe I'll start with 30 days and see where that gets me. Thanks for the push, Austin!
I dread the clock’s changing every year in November. I wish I could instead prepare for nanowrimo. I’m gonna try. Imma put pen to paper every night this month I usually dread so much. My nephew took his life a little over a year ago and I’m going to try to bring him alive on the page. There’ll be no failure. Only effort expended.
I have, several years in a row, tried to do the inktober or other October art challenge and have failed. I thought I just didn't have the stamina, but that's not true. In 2021, I completed a 365 day phenology challenge that I gave to myself. I was tracking the animals and birds in my yard and neighborhood. I tracked the weather, the moon cycle and the about of day light for every day of the year, plus the last week of 2020 (a practice week). The last 5 weeks were very challenging. The world had gone dormant and I was tired as the holidays approached, but I persevered. So why couldn't/can't I complete a 30 day art challenge? I think the answer is that the prompts didn't stimulate my mind. Or ideas would come at times when I couldn't sit down and create. So I stopped and thought I was a failure. This year, I took Mike Lowery's Getting Paid to Draw class. Before signing on I took his Procreate class that's available on Skillshare to see if I liked his teaching style. He's a huge advocate of drawing every day. He shared his blob drawing process and I started making blobs in the morning creating things from those blobs. It was easy, fun, and didn't take a lot of time. There was also a Sketchbook Revival series that I happened upon about that time and learned a bunch of fun sketchbook activities. I was having so much fun and trying new things and before I new it, I was making art of some kind every day. I'm still doing it. I have found that when I start my day with a creative pursuit, even a page of blob sketches, I am more creative all day long. This year, I have written 5 picture book scripts, created a dummy with final art for a young reader graphic novel and am now working on the art for an older picture book script. I feel like the incremental daily drawings have been playful and unattached to a big outcome which frees my mind up to just create and have fun even when it's a project I hope to have published some day.
I wonder if the monthly challenges feel too tied to the approval of others and that's where I would get too in my head about what to create? I share some of my work on social media, but I keep a lot of it to myself. I don't want to worry about what others think about my play time and my bigger projects are shared to a limited audience of critique partners, agents, and editors for now.
Good luck to everyone who starts a new 30 day challenge!
This is a big YES! My 5 separate 100 day projects (same thing, longer commitment) literally changed my life! I lead groups in them now- it’s positively addicting to watch people build their own amazing body of work and get better and better!! Thank you so much for all you share Austin! I’m so grateful!🐘🌸🌈
I'm in a big transitional period in my life right now, so I'm gonna give myself space to deal with that instead. But some success stories: in 2017 I did Inktober (or rather a spinoff called Drawlloween), and 31 days of small drawings on cue cards turned out to be exactly what I needed to build a drawing habit. 5 years later, I put "make art" on my daily to-do list and it's the item I have the best success rate with (better than "brush my teeth").
What a great way to begin a new month! About a year ago I had a dream in which someone asked me, "Is this where you do something creative every day for a thousand days?" Because of who was asking (my friend's son Drew), I realized it would be drawing. I would love to say that I have done one a day since then. I have not. My tally is in the back of my journals and I believe it could be helpful to have a larger version on my refrigerator. I do not have small children. I have the luxury of being retired. I do still have some set time commitments. What i have recently learned is that if I don't do what matters sooner, I won't do it later. Right now, in addition to the drawing there is getting outside. Just back from a walk where I drew a small skeleton in my neighbor's tree.
I’ve always wanted to improve my drawing ability and I’ve been thinking of it these last few days. I’m going to go buy another sketchbook while I need to kill time before my flight back to LA. I read through most of the comments and saw a theme of loved ones passing and I think of my brother who passed of a drug overdose in March. He loved to draw, graffiti, and tattoo so I plan to honor his memory with this new project.
Yes. I will take the challenge. Thank you for this essay.
I think I'll try your 30 day challenge. I'm not sure yet what I'll focus on but I like the sound of doing this. I did a 30 day art challenge during the pandemic and it was amazing how motivating this was and what I was able to create. Here's to November!
I tried it once before. It was some years ago - I don't remember what happened but I am left with a vague and good impression. This time, I'm going to mostly write notes from an imaginary autobiography of a famous jazz player who "coincidentally" recounts some of favorite memories from my life, as if they were his. We'll see where he / it goes. Thanks.
While I still have a drawer full of leftover Halloween candy, I can commit to "not eating crap" for my 30-day challenge ... holidays be damned. Do it now, and I can do it.