I should have posted this earlier, I know, but I’m still posting about October creative challenges just in case anyone wants to jump in as a creative participant or as a creative cheerleader (ideally BOTH, of course!).
Suggestions on how to start participating as a latecomer:
Don’t stress about it. If you have too much going on, I advise you to not try to join at this point but make a note in your calendar for next year. Some of these sites have creative challenges year-round as well! Instead, just browse the hashtag(s) and encourage fellow illustrators. The latter is highly encouraged, whether or not you’re an active participant. I find that so much of the fun of these creative challenges is the community aspect.
Forget about prompts you’ve missed and just jump in when you can. The goal of these creativity challenges is to help spur your own creativity, after all, not compete with others.
Consider combining several prompts into one image.
Pick ONE creative challenge to catch up on, to make it more manageable.
If you’re interested in children’s book illustration, I strongly encourage you to consider participating in SCBWI’s brand-new art challenge. The acryonym SCBWI, for those who don’t know, stands for Society Of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators. Because it’s a new challenge, I’ve noticed that relatively few art participating compared to some of the better-known challenges….this means that your posts are more likely to get noticed by those checking #Scbwiartober (not just this year, but possibly in future years as well).
Most importantly: These creative art challenges should be FUN. If you find yourself stressed about trying to keep up, or comparing yourself to others, then rethink your approach or find another way to spur your creativity.
Another reason I’m posting these sources is because it’s worth checking out some of these websites or creative types for other inspiring info or visuals throughout the year! These are just a few. If you know of any others, please post a comment with a link to where people can find out more. Xquissive.com has a great list of October art challenges, with more detailed info on each.
Suggestions for other challenges? Other tips for how to participate in creative art challenges without getting stressed? Please post in the comments!
Doodlewash – #doodlewashOctober2021
Drawlloween – #drawlloween #drawlloween2021
Drawtober – #Drawtober2021. Rules here. Calendar here.
Inktober Art Challenge – #inktober #inktober2021
SCBWIArtober – New challenge from the Society Of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators! #ScbwiArtober.
Tinkerlab – #Tinkersketch