Inktober is Here - Are You Ready?

Are you like me when it comes to Social Media? I love it and I hate it! Without it I would never have discovered Zentangle®, or gotten back in touch with friends from my past, or keep up with my family and all my favorite artists! What I really need is a plan to manage my social media time. I need more balance!

There is so much awesomeness on social media that I would be uber sad if it went away. My favorite places on social media are: Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest. I have a Twitter account but I hardly ever use it. I’ve never done Snapchat, and I know there are others out there that I don’t even know about! It just gets to be too much to keep up with!

If you are an artist, or a cook, or a card maker, or a writer, or a _____ (You fill in the blank), there is more than likely a blog or FB page with a weekly challenge, or, heaven help us, a daily challenge! If you are able to keep up with one or more challenge site, then I applaud you! It is something I aspire to, but alas, I fall terribly short! Except when it comes to Inktober.

Inktober was started in 2009 by Jake Parker. Jake, also known as Agent 44, is an awesome illustrator! He started Inktober to improve his skills and develop a daily drawing habit. Inktober has grown into a annual event with artists from all over the world taking part; and it’s a perfect fit for Zentangle. If you want to find Inktober and Zentangle Inktober inspiration, just search #Inktober #Inktober2018 #InktoberTangles2018.

Last year was my first Inktober. Stephanie Jennifer, CZT, created a list of Tangles for Inktober and I found myself following along with lots of other tanglers. I admit that by the end of the month I was pretty stressed about it, but I managed to create one for each of 31 days. The best thing about Inktober is that I learn so many new tangles and get more practice with others. It really does make a difference when you focus on something consistently for a period of time! This year I’m using Stephanie’s list again, and I’m adding another list from Deborah Pace, a new friend I met in Colorado Springs at the Rocky Mountain Zentangle Retreat (RMZR).

Even though I’m doing 2 tangle lists and Jake Parker’s Inktober 2018 list, I plan to incorporate them all onto a single 3.5-inch Zentangle tile. Here are the 3 lists I’m using if you would like to join in on the fun.

z

Stephanie’s website Everything is Art also has links to the step-outs for all of the tangles. How awesome is that?!

Here is Deborah’s List of Tangle Prompts. Visit Deborah’s website Aatvark Cre8tions to see all of her awesome art!

Remember there are no Inktober police on social media so you could participate daily or not. I love what the rules say on Jake Parker’s Inktober website, “Note: you can do it daily, or go the half-marathon route and post every other day, or just do the 5K and post once a week. What ever you decide, just be consistent with it. Inktober is about growing and improving and forming positive habits, so the more you’re consistent the better.” (Just a note that this link goes to the 2017 list. I found his 2018 list via Twitter.)

I’ve created 2 tiles so far. The feature photo includes some of the Intober tiles from 2017. These are just a little tiny bit of inspiration. There is so much more out there on social media, but don’t get lost or overwhelmed. If any of you figure out how to maintain a balance on social media, please let me know!!!

I hope you choose to play along and at least try some of the prompts. I would LOVE to hear from you. Are you participating in Inktober? Where do you post your work? I’d love to see it! Please leave a comment and let me know!

Til next time. Be You and Be Happy!