Inktober: The Self-Confidence Booster for Creative Types
A guide to Inktober and why you should participate
Back in September 2018, I discovered an art challenge that forever changed the way I perceive my artistic process. I had no idea what Inktober was at the time, but seeing all the artists on social media getting hyped about it made me want to become involved too. This is how I came to learn about Jake Parker’s greatest creation, the one-month long art challenge. I’ll say it upfront, this challenge has the power to turn noobs into professionals.
What is Inktober?
Inktober is a drawing challenge based on daily prompts. It takes place every October, lasting for the entirety of the month, and each day the participants are encouraged to create a drawing in ink (be it the traditional or digital way) and post it on their preferred social media. The prompts for 2020 as well as the rules and a FAQs page can be found on their official website.
Limited to ink?
If drawing in black ink isn’t for you, know there are many creatives out there who participate using colored ink, paint, or pencils. Some writers even use the prompts to generate flash fiction ideas.
What will you gain from participating?
Inktober is not a contest, meaning you won’t win any prizes just from posting your artwork on Instagram. Instead, it is more similar to running a marathon: it gives you a chance to outdo yourself while striving along with others towards a common goal. In the end, a marathon is about crossing the finish line, and so is Intkober.
Inktober changed my creative process for the better
Before I first participated in this challenge, I was the type who talked about being creative but didn’t actually create anything. I rarely had ideas and when I had one, it was way out of my scope, the next big thing, too complex to even attempt.
Wait for the muse. Have a grand idea. Realize it’s too difficult. Give up. Repeat.
There’s magic in finishing something
Inktober has helped me reframe my mindset when it comes to creative projects. Using only a one-word prompt, I was expected to come up with a drawing idea every day. Not only the idea but also the perspective and the layout. Each Inktober drawing was a mini project in itself which allowed me to go through all the stages of creating something: coming up with an idea, planning (in this case sketching), executing, sharing the project with the world, and marketing it.
Completing a project, be it the smallest of them, gives us power. It gives us the confidence boost we need to move on to bigger things. Small projects might seem worthless to us before we understand why we need them: to break the give-ups chain. Inktober is great for improving your skills, but a big chunk of that improvement comes from learning to believe in ourselves.
The self-trust I gained after creating 31 drawings actually transferred to other areas of my creative life: I felt powerful enough to write my first novel. Immediately after Inktober, I participated in NaNoWriMo and won with a total of 65000 words. I consider those two things together to be my greatest achievement to date.
I’ve learned to consistently come up with new ideas
I believe participating in Inktober is similar to forcing yourself to generate one idea per day in order to become more creative. The exception is you're given a prompt to use and you’re expected to execute those ideas. Maybe this sounds like it removes part of the creative liberty, but I think an extra constraint is helpful in pushing you out of your comfort zone. The greatest aid in learning to be creative is to be challenged.
I’m not afraid to create any more
I made 62 ink drawings for Inktober up until this point. I’m not afraid of a blank page anymore. Drawing in ink, even with a preliminary sketch made in pencil, thaught me to accept mistakes and not to expect everything to be perfect. Now I don’t use the eraser more than I use the drawing tools, which for me is an achievement. When I do pick up an eraser it’s because I know I can do better, not because the lines aren’t perfect. Trust me, it’s not the same thing.
How to not give up after the first few days
Up until this point, I talked about Inktober as if it is a small commitment, a side project to help your creative brain. In reality, it is a big project with daily tasks, but the tasks are as exhaustive as you choose to make them. Many creatives fill their plates too much and give up after the first three days, burnt out after hours and hours of drawing. I saw it happening way too many times to not address it.
The way to make Inktober work is to complete it
The number of days it takes you to finish doesn’t matter. The complexity of the drawings matters less than you think.
What matters is to know your limits and not set impossible goals. Inktober is already a big goal, don’t make it bigger and more complex than it is. Don’t attempt to paint a mural on the wall behind your desk if you were never able to draw in your sketchbook for more than 5 days in a row. While choosing your goals, keep in mind not all of us are on the same level, and what’s easy for some might be very difficult for others.
This challenge is meant to help you practice your skills. You won’t get to practice much if you give up.
Tips to consider when you adjust Inktober to your needs
I believe the reason why people fail at completing Inktober is they push themselves too much trying to work within the challenge rules instead of making this challenge work for them. Before starting Inktober this year, consider these tips to help you be successful.
- Start earlier. At the moment I’m writing this, the list of prompts is already available. If you start early, you can aim to finish in 31 days while also giving yourself room to take breaks. Start in September, but post all your drawings in October to gain the most attention. I did this the first time I participated and I’m happy I did because I needed 40 days to finish the 31 drawings (I’ve never seen this as a failure). You can start on October 1st, but you should know the hype around Inktober will die off in November. If your enthusiasm for the challenge is proportional with the community’s, this can affect you negatively.
- Stick to practicing one skill per drawing. If the day’s prompt is fish, it’s okay to only draw a fish. You can draw a pond when the prompt is water. When it comes to forming a habit, it’s often better to draw something small every day than to attempt and fail at something grand, say, an entire lake with the moon rays reflected in the water. Use the prompt to practice a singular skill: a new technique, a new style, or thinking outside the box. By practicing one thing at a time, you still learn something new every day but you are less likely to burn out.
- You can always aim higher next year. You’ll see a ton of artists putting out amazing drawings daily. This should only inspire you. If this is your first time participating, make it your goal to finish the challenge. The second time you can aim for complete pieces. The third time you can aim to tie all the prompts in a sequential story. But for now, prove to yourself you can finish what you started and this will be enough. There’s nothing like holding all the 31 drawings in your hands and saying: I made all these.
- Check out some tutorials. Before you start, take an afternoon or two to learn your tools. This way, when you start working on the first prompt, you won’t have the disheartening realization that inking is harder than you thought. Learn to fail fast.
If you like challenges like I do, and you have even the smallest interest in drawing, you should give Inktober a chance. It might work for you and it might change your work process altogether. I personally break down many of my projects into 30-day challenges now and it’s what’s been working the best for me.
