It’s Inktober, ya’ll, and I’ve been drawing a lot. For those of you not in the know, Inktober is an art challenge where you draw something every day for the month of October using some kind of ink, and it’s a very good opportunity to practice your linework. I don’t work fast enough to finish something every day, so I’ve been aiming for every other day. And it’s been going pretty well!
But it’s also kind of forcing me to think about the role that art plays in my life. It might look effortless to some people or like some special talent you just come out of the womb with, but that’s not the case. It’s hard as hell. It’s so time-consuming, and about 80% of the time you don’t even like what you just spent hours making.
Here’s something that didn’t turn out like I wanted it to:
So what gives? For me, it gives a sense of passion and direction in my life. I feel very strongly that I want to improve my art, so that maybe someday people will pay me money to do it. I don’t feel like this about anything else. Maybe I don’t know what I really want to do with my life or what my goals are, but I do know that I want to get really good at art.
Also, it’s just plain calming. It requires enough of my concentration that everything stressful in my life is forced to vanish. And finally, the 20% of the time that I do make something I’m proud of, it’s the best feeling in the world. It makes all the drawings that I hated seem worth it.
Here’s something I was really proud of when I finished it:
Whenever things are going really bad, I think to myself, At least I still have my art. It’s a mantra that— not to be dramatic or anything— has probably saved my life, or at the very least, my sanity. Who knew that drawing silly anime girls sometimes could have such a positive effect on my life?
It could be anything: writing, cooking, drawing, reading, knitting, or even just sitting down to watch a show you really like. Whatever it is, I highly recommend finding something that keeps you sane, grounds you, and gives you something to look forward to at the end of the day— because in this capitalist hellscape, we could all really use it.