5 benefits to participating in Inktober
Battle Perfectionism
As an artist, I am extremely critical of my own work. I have a habit of scrapping pieces if they are not up to my standards. Unfortunately, this is a habit exercised with almost all my work. I have created an impossible standard for myself, influenced by the work of seasoned professionals, to judge my work, an amateur.
With Inktober, I am forced to combat that feeling. If I want to do at least half the prompts, I cannot allow myself the time to mull over every detail. I have to make do with what I have, and learn to appreciate what I created. If perfectionism is also an issue for you, try limiting the scope. Inktober is an excellent way to do so.
Buff Your Portfolio
I have struggled for years with developing my portfolio, and so have many of my peers.
A portfolio is a reflection of your work, so it is important to keep it updated. Despite the fact that I want to make illustration a career, I have not been able to find the time to curate a set of pieces. However, if I managed to do all 31 days, I would have 31 new pieces. Sure, the daily prompts are random, but I can interpret them however I would like. Curating your portfolio would be much easier if you are like me and have very few finished pieces.
The great thing about Inktober is that you can pick any medium or style and just go for it!
Draw Everyday
I have always been an artist, but I never felt that I was good enough to pursue making art as a career. I lacked the motivation to draw with intent, and as a result, my skills were stagnant. I preferred to mindlessly doodle and see where that took me. However, that is not a habit to cling to if you plan on making art a career. Keep doodling and daydreaming, but at some point you need to draw with intent.
If you want to make art your livelihood, it is important to practice consistently. This is a hard habit to create just on my own, but with the help of Inktober, I have consistent motivation to draw frequently and with purpose. This motivation was not present beforehand, and I feel that it will be easier to establish this as a habit once Inktober is over. I highly recommend you try to tackle as many prompts as possible to establish this habit for yourself, as well.
Build A Community
Growing your social media following from zero is always a challenge. Trends are fleeting and attention spans are short. Inktober (and other monthly challenges) can help. For 31 days in a row, a trend will be consistent and popular. Other artists will spend more time scrolling through a hashtag, likely to gain inspiration for their own work. It is very important to take advantage of this if you are seeking a growth in followers.
I hope to open my own shop and get some commissions soon, so Inktober could not have come at a better time.
Leave Your Comfort Zone
Whenever I decide to draw, I am never sure what to make. I began using this as a reason to not draw at all. I would scroll Pinterest and Instagram endlessly because I couldn’t pick what to.
Monthly challenges like Inktober are an excellent way to battle art block. With Inktober, you no longer have to start from the ground up. There is already have a theme for your first piece and the others for all of October. Not to mention, you are forced to draw things you would never have drawn on my own. For example, the prompt for day 3 is “bat”. I never liked drawing animals, but now I have discovered this whole new territory of art that I actually enjoy.
Participating in Inktober will help you expand your interests and grow as an artist in a short amount of time.
Start Today
Here is the prompt for this year’s challenge. In the beginning, it was just made with ink, but now you can use any medium you desire. Don’t wait!
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