With art prompts like “Enchanted” and “Ancient” in addition to an online community of millions, who wouldn’t be inspired to create? Joining artists of all levels of skill and walks of life, sophomore Avery Reese took up the challenge of Inktober this year, a thirty one item prompt list that encourages artists to draw one thing every day during the month of October, preferably in an ink medium.

“Inktober is an exciting time of year for artists all around the globe,” Reese said. “Each prompt is one word, like ‘ring’, or ‘ghost’, and you put your own creative twist on the prompt every day. It’s called Inktober because your daily illustrations should be in ink. I usually just use a pen, and sometimes I color my Inktober pieces, too.”

While the rules may seem limiting to some, Inktober creator Jake Parker’s vision for Inktober prioritizes creativity and self-expression for artists like Reese. According to the Inktober website, “the spirit of the challenge is very open to people being creative in what tools they use, how they use them, and what they create.”

“I tried Inktober last year but I only did day one,” Reese said. “This year I’m doing my best to keep up with the prompts and I’m doing it weekly so I have more time to make complete pieces.”

In addition to this creative endeavor in her free time, Reese is taking drawing and painting classes at the school, and has greater aspirations for her future as an artist.

“I would love to work as an artist. I’ve always wanted to work as an animator or be a comic illustrator,” Reese said. 

Inktober acts as a motivator for Reese and her goals as it provides opportunities for practice and growth in a supportive online collaboration of artists with the same passion for art. The community can connect on social media by using the hashtag #Inktober to share their ink pieces every day and discover how much artistic variation can come of a single word prompt.

“I love Inktober because it’s something to look forward to annually as an artist and it challenges your creative limits,” Reese said. “I would encourage other artists to participate because it’s a ton of fun to see what others do with the prompt. It allows us to all see each other’s work and compare their ideas with our own.”

Those who are not necessarily gifted in visual arts are also welcome to participate and find their place in this community of artists. The Inktober website states that “the challenge is very open to people being creative in what tools they use, how they use them, and what they create.her

Inktober may be finished, but the 2019 prompt list remains on the Inktober website, Instagram, and Twitter accounts for all to see as well as millions of posts under the Inktober hashtag for aspiring artists to take inspiration from. The reach of this challenge has also encouraged artists to make their own personalized October prompt lists and join in the spirit of creating in any way for the sake of art.