Initial Thoughts
You know what? 24 entries in an art challenge I completely expected not to finish on time is actually pretty good. I frankly didn't expect to make it even past 18 this year, though I think I have to thank my medical leave for helping keep me hunkered down from my busy work life for a while.
Honestly, months ago I had been just mulling over the idea of not really participating in an art challenge this year. I was spending so much of my time outdoors this summer that I was prepared to just spend all my free time this October either doing autumn trail hikes or car camping; I was just that invested in being immersed in the Canadian wilderness and traveling in the B.C. Interior. Even now I itch terribly to just head out into the Cascades or the Coquihalla Canyon purely on a whim... 😅 😣
Challenges
Anyway, I think I could have easily done the 31 days if I didn't invest too heavily in writing out some of the stories I had for some of my entries. Mary's time with Terra in South Figaro was my first big roadblock because I was struggling to create a smooth transition from them clearing up their misunderstanding to Terra's sleepy mumblings. So it kind of feels rushed in retrospect.
This first sketch of Etherei and Zephyr was another one where I started to feel stuck again, because I was initially writing something a lot longer than I intended but felt so eager to share. I had to stop when I realized I was lagging on it a lot longer than I wanted to, and felt myself losing momentum on my content. In the end, I had to consolidate the lengthy section I had written into a short summary of events instead. The draft I first created was becoming too rushed and wasn't really doing the characters (including the side characters like Leonard) justice.
These two stories were but a few instances where the writing was me shooting myself in the foot, especially since I did resolve to finish on time early on. But that's not to say I didn't enjoy the exercise of writing the stories from scratch. I liked spending time just writing the short conversations I imagined the characters would have and then adding flourish with my proses later on.
It was by the time I hit my 15th entry that I simply gave up on trying to get all 31 entries in. I could have pushed it by making really quick, half-assed sketches of my characters doing stupid things (like this one) but I really couldn't bring myself to do a lot of that just for the sake of completing the challenge. I wanted to focus on being mostly substantial with my work, even if it meant taking the time to do a lot of writing.
I also think I need to spend some time reading novels again. As fun as it was writing all the things I've made, I find myself being a little repetitive at times and in need of expanding my vocabulary and repertoire of expressions. A visit to my local library is in order... After I finish my current stack of B.C. history books.
Wrapping Up
This was a much-needed challenge for me personally. I had so many of my OCs I wanted to draw and flesh out through the short stories I've written. Obviously a one-month art challenge isn't enough to really get into all the characters' stories in vivid detail. Nonetheless, it's nice to see at least some of these ideas finally put down for me to come back to later on and reference in future content.
I'll be taking a break after spending so much time on this art challenge. But I think I might dabble in a few sketches here and there in the next month while I finish working on some things that are long overdue...
Anyway, feels good to have another art challenge over with. Maybe I'll do another challenge next year? One with more color, if my schedule by then allows. 😊
