Category: text post

posts in which the main focus is the text rather than the image

Why you can’t find me on Instagram

~ Ari October ~ Leave a comment

…or Twitter, Facebook, Tumblr, etc.

This post doesn’t really have all that much to do with art, but it does answer (at length…) a question many people who stumble across this blog may have: so why the heck aren’t you on Instagram like all the other artists?

I’ll give you the TL;DR up front: I spent a large chunk of my youth on social media and I have experienced for myself just how damaging it can be. It is only through leaving, rejoining, and leaving again that I have come to see clearly what these sites do to me. I find myself much happier and less stressed now that I no longer participate on these sites.

I don’t think the internet is inherently evil or that we should all collectively throw our smartphones out the nearest window, but I do think that reevaluating our relationships with these things is a worthwhile endeavor.

So if you happen to be interested in a long story about why I have such a strong disdain for short-form blogging platforms with purposefully addictive algorithms, feel free to read on.

The full story:

I used to be a very active participant on social media. I practically lived on Tumblr from 2012 through 2017. I actually met my current partner on Tumblr after setting up a OkCupid account, linking my blog, and then forgetting about my OkCupid. So it’s safe to say I wouldn’t be who I am today if I hadn’t spent so much time on social media.

A growing awareness of the ill effects of social media began to plague me some time in early 2018. I started to realize that I liked my real-life friends more if I didn’t know what kind of nonsense they were getting up to on Facebook. Facebook was the first account to go, after I realized I only ever opened it out of compulsive habit and then left immediately because I knew I didn’t actually want to be there. It’s been 4 years now since I left Facebook, and I haven’t had a single ounce of regret nor the slightest desire to rejoin since.

The next to go was Tumblr, at which point I also dropped all social media I had at the time. Leaving Tumblr was the hardest because so much of my life had been spent there, but at that point I realized I was doing the same thing I did on Facebook: logging in, scrolling really really fast down the feed, and then closing the tab again. Over and over. The party was over for me and it was time for the compulsion to end.

Instagram and Twitter are another story. I have left and rejoined both sites more than once, but at the time of writing this I’m pretty sure I’m done with them for good.

By October of 2020 (there really is something about that month…) the loneliness of the pandemic really sank in. I decided against my better judgement to rejoin Instagram, and later Twitter as well, because what the hell else could I do!? I needed human contact. Unfortunately it ultimately made me feel even lonelier.

I started to become an “influencer” type when I ran a hair growth blog through Instagram, while maintaining an art account on the side. During this time my average daily screentime was 8+ hours, not even the slightest bit of an exaggeration, and I spent any time away from it obsessing about interactions I had with others there or about what my next post would be. I was neglecting my real-life relationship for shallow digital connections with people I had never even met and never would.

At some point I got completely overwhelmed by my Instagram feed. I decided I needed to thoroughly declutter who I was following on my art account and only follow the accounts that truly brought me inspiration and joy. This of course, caused me a massive drop in followers as many of them only followed me because I followed them. I realized how few people really cared about my art, and how many only cared about advancing their own numbers.

I started this blog before starting that Instagram account, and my original intention for making a new art account was to direct traffic here! But as you can see it sucked me right back into it’s algorithm-fueled mania, even though I had been so happy without social media for over a year prior.

When I eventually did leave Instagram altogether, not a single person attempted to contact me, despite my last post containing my personal email address in case anyone cared enough to reach out. I think that was really the last straw for me, I knew those connections would never be what I wanted them to be, so I really don’t see me going back again.

My 2nd Twitter account (I remember very little about my 1st account, which I hadn’t used very much anyway) came about as a way to keep track of the election news. You may have guessed it by now, but I am definitely not a Trump supporter. I’m not a Biden supporter either, but “lesser of the two evils” and all that nonsense. My favorite quote from directly after Biden was elected was “I’m celebrating a Trump loss, not a Biden victory.” And that about sums up how I felt about the whole thing. After the dust had settled I realized I had no more use for the site and I discarded it once more.

But then came a 3rd Twitter account, which may have lasted the shortest amount of time but nonetheless had a lasting impact. I created a Twitter account so I could easily upload screenshots from Animal Crossing New Horizons onto the internet directly from my Switch. I then decided to make it into an actual ACNH blog, so I could see more content from my favorite game and interact with other fans. But I soon realized I found the whole thing incredibly exhausting. I became quite physically aware of the impact such sites have on my attention span, I found myself with noticably more brain fog and fatigue. I left silently.

Nowadays I still occasionally use Reddit. Reddit has been around in the background for years, never being my main thing but still occasionally becoming a problem. I have had and deleted countless Reddit accounts, as I tend to delete my account as soon as I come into any sort of conflict. I’ve come to realize that I like the site a lot more when I just read it without an account and don’t participate in the discussions, it’s significantly less stressful this way!

What makes WordPress different? Well first of all it’s a long-form blogging platform, where one is expected to write at length rather than ignored for doing so. This decreases throughput and vastly reduces the ability to addict readers (though of course I’m sure it still happens! Just not systematically.) Secondly, most people who read WordPress blogs do not even have WordPress accounts themselves. They may not even realize the site they are on is run by WordPress! Because of this, likes and comments are comparatively rare, which makes it easier for me to disregard the numbers. These things are exactly why I chose to be here. It’s the closest thing I can get to having my own personal website without having to pay for one.

Long-form blogging is a “dying” art, which is perfect for me actually, as I’d much prefer an audience of quality over quantity anyway. I prefer to speak my truth at whatever length I desire and let those who jive with it come to me. I don’t need to appeal to the masses, I just want to connect with like-minded individuals.

I think this long story has gone on long enough though, so let’s wrap it up with a summary: I have engaged with many social media platforms throughout my life, (some of which I haven’t even listed here because that would be far too long a story for even my liking,) and through my experiences came to my own conclusion that these sites harm my well being. Now I no longer use most of them, and the ones I do I use sparingly and try to use mindfully.

I want to live my life free from the grips of addiction and this is just one of many I’ve struggled with. I am still working on myself, learning and growing every day. So if you’ve read all of this I hope you can respect my decision to abstain from the likes of Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter! Continue to do whatever works best for you though, I’m just sharing my own personal experience.

See you in the next post, whenever that may be. It’s all up to me! 😊

Sometimes I just can’t draw…

~ Ari October ~ 1 Comment

…and I’m making peace with that.

A doodle from my Boogie Board.

Over the last two weeks I haven’t been drawing at all, this lazy scribble mandala being the only exception. For a while before this I had been drawing every day, finishing multiple drawings per day sometimes, feeling super productive and creative.

I used to think these spans of time when I wouldn’t draw anything were a product of me being lazy and wasting my time. I used to buy new art supplies during these times to try to force myself back into creative mode, but often it was to no avail, and this contributed heavily to my art supply hoarding problem.

These creative lulls can be detrimental to artists who rely heavily on frequent posting to social media, as the algorithms most reward consistency. This is one of the reasons I left social media, I find that this pressure causes me anxiety and stifles my creativity.

Ever since I decided to stop shaming myself for these phases, I’ve come to see them for what they really are: periods of rest. I view the short lapses as naps and the long stretches as hibernation. Rest is just as important as the work we do, without rest we are far less productive and much more likely to give up altogether!

I now know, from lived experience, that this is just a break and I will get back into drawing when the time is right. It can’t be forced and attempts to do so will only leave me dissatisfied and upset. I now understand “art block” as a sign that I need to take a step back and spend my time elsewhere.

Of course, when the time comes to create again, sometimes it can be difficult to get back into the swing of things! I like to take it slow and approach it with a playful attitude. I’ll start with silly doodles, blind contours, basic mandalas, simple patterns, neurographic art, or even just pasting things into my sketchbook. Once I feel properly warmed back up, which can take anywhere from a couple hours to several days, I can attempt my more “serious” ideas. But sometimes my creative phases consist entirely of easy art and I’m okay with that too. Sometimes I just have to Make Bad Art.

This has actually been a pretty recent revelation which is why I’m only just now sharing about it. It’s so nice to feel at peace with myself when previously I would have been irritated by my state of “stagnation.” I feel even more grateful now for the times I do draw, I don’t take them for granted quite as much!

“Draw every single day” is common advice and I understand the intent behind it but I don’t think it works for everyone. Practicing self discipline is certainly important and you do need to draw frequently if you want to improve your skills, but in my opinion it kind of defeats the purpose if art-making becomes a dreaded chore.

I prefer this approach instead: always keep some basic tools for drawing handy, and draw every time you get the urge to do so. This approach has been much more successful for me personally for building a creative habit. I recommend keeping the tools in your travel kit to a minimum so you don’t suffer decision fatigue and can jump straight into drawing! I currently have a bicolor red/blue palette going on in my tiny travel sketchbook that lives in my purse, and to my surprise I absolutely love working with such limited colors!

Lately my creativity has been manifesting itself through writing more than through drawing, so I’ve started a little writing project. I want to say “stay tuned” but I have no idea if anything worth sharing will come of it… we’ll just have to wait and see!

A prayer for Ukraine

~ Ari October ~ 3 Comments

After reading the wartime diary of Yevgenia Belorusets I felt the need to share it with others.

I created this mandala to vent my feelings, as an act of prayer for peace in Ukraine (and the whole world!) I am sharing it here now to have an excuse to talk about the matter.

I grew up going to school with several Ukrainian immigrant kids and that makes this horrible event just that much more real to me.

Of course this is far from the only important thing happening in the world but it is certainly a reflection of the state of the world as a whole. Too much violence, too little compassion. Civilians suffering the consequences of their political leaders’ greed. Same crap that’s been going on for thousand of years.

I will always side against injustice and violence. My hope is to inspire others to do the same.

We can’t do all the good the world needs but the world needs all the good we can do.

Art supply No Buy: 1st check-in

~ Ari October ~ Leave a comment

Wow, it’s already March! How?!

Well first of all, I’ve decided that I’ll be on a sketchbook No Buy for the foreseeable future, not just until 2023. If I run out of a specific-use sketchbook, say I fill up my watercolor sketchbook from front to back, at that point I may buy ONE new watercolor sketchbook.

I had to implement this rule because I have 4 really tiny travel sketchbooks (the pages are 5.5cm x 10cm!) that are specifically for putting into my purse so I can doodle when I’m out and about. If I wasn’t allowed to buy ANY new sketchbook until 100% of my sketchbooks were completely filled… That just wouldn’t work out well for me. I like to work in different mediums and at different sizes.

In the future I’d like to have active at any time: 1 travel sketchbook, 2 medium or large sized sketchbooks (one with white paper and one with black paper!), and 1 watercolor sketchbook. This is how I tend to work anyway, but I have a lot of excess in the medium/large white paper sketchbook department!

What’s tempted me in these last few months? Not too much! I’ve been avoiding watching product reviews (unless it’s something I already own) and I don’t let myself step into arts and craft stores. When passing the arts and craft isles in grocery stores I literally put my hand up to avert my gaze and say aloud, repeatedly: “DON’T LOOK AT THE ART SUPPLIES!”

Ironically as I was typing up that last sentence, I found myself thinking about the fact that we are going to Home Depot today. My brain started to fantasize about buying pieces of wood or tile to paint on. Facepalm!

Something that really tempted me though is a magnetic drawing board toy. I mentioned this in one of my previous posts, because I have a Boogie Board and it reminds me of those. I really want one so I’ve put it on a list of things to buy in 2023. The 2023 shopping list is a great idea that I got from Kindra on YouTube.

Speaking of Kindra, I really recommend checking out her channel if this No Buy topic is interesting to you because she is doing one too! She’s not a huge YouTuber and I actually really enjoy that, her videos feel very down to earth and relatable. And I just love her voice, I find it so soothing. Her No Buy videos have been so inspiring and motivating for me!

Another temptation I had but has since passed is getting a new drawing program for my computer. I fiddled around with a free one that worked pretty well (I think it was Krita?) and decided that was just fine. I haven’t even done any digital art since. (Unless you count building in The Sims 4 haha!)

I know that here and there I’ve found myself interested in a product I’ve watched someone use, but all of those temptations were very fleeting and I don’t even remember any of the products! So thank goodness I didn’t cave, in retrospect it is so clear I didn’t need any of those things.

In a moment of weakness I even found myself eyeing the free ballpoint pens at a pawn shop. Nothing tempts me more than shiny and new but also FREE! I really do not need any new ballpoint pens. They aren’t even my favorite art supply! It’s just my bird brain, wanting to collect and hoard.

But in terms of genuine temptations to buy something and break my No Buy, the only things that’ve really fallen into that category are the magnetic drawing board and the art program for my computer. All those other things were just silly little whims that were easy to write off immediately.

So far I have finished filling two previously half-filled sketchbooks and I haven’t bought any art supplies. I would say that I am doing very well!

So thanks for reading and I will check in again in another 2 or 3 months, unless something crazy comes up and I really need to blog about it!

6th sketchbook complete!!

~ Ari October ~ Leave a comment

2/3 sketchbooks filled towards my New Year’s resolution! Just one more to go! I hope to finish up even more than 3 as I have quite a few half-finished books in my cabinet.

I recently decided I must take a new approach to my art making: I must create with only the experience of creating in mind. I must create for the sake of my own satisfaction and not get caught up in the aesthetics of others.

Obviously I’ll still have a plan of what I want to create most of the time, but I must accept and even expect for plans to change as I go along. Some of my favorite features in my favorite drawings have come from mistakes!

This new approach is why I was able to fill this 30 page sketchbook in only 3 months. I started it on December 8th and finished it this evening of March 2nd. Otherwise I would have found myself frozen by my debilitating perfectionism and afraid to make anything others might deem “ugly.” Sometimes ugly art is the most fun to create!

I actually bought this sketchbook at The Dollar Tree! I knew I didn’t need any more sketchbooks but I hadn’t started my No Buy yet and just couldn’t resist trying it out. I was actually thoroughly impressed! I have had more expensive sketchbooks of lower quality. Not that it was anything super fancy, but it certainly got the job done. I enjoyed the texture of the paper and it took to all of my supplies much better than I would have expected.

Don’t let YouTube sketchbook tours fool you, most artists do not create only finished pieces. Most of us doodle and explore, making mistakes and messes. Some people keep sketchbooks that are only for finished pieces while simultaneously keeping a private sketchbook for scribbles.

On to the next one! Happy doodling 🙂

Neurographic Art

~ Ari October ~ 1 Comment

I recently discovered the joy of creating neurographic art. You can learn more about it here (click me!)

Neurographic art is rooted in psychology. It is a method to use artistic action to soothe oneself and problem solve. With Neurographic art you can turn your troubles into a colorful composition!

I’ve been so afraid to create lately. And by lately I mean the last several years. If you watched the short video I shared previously you will have some insight into how I’ve been feeling. So often making art feels fruitless to me and because of that I put off doing it.

Discovering neurographica has been a game-changer. It is soothing and grounding in a similar way to mandala, but with absolutely no skill requirement. Even with my freest of mandalas I still find myself trying to make them look good, but when it comes to neurographs it doesn’t matter.

I made one the other day in which I didn’t like the colors, one was too dark and it threw off the entire composition, so I simply discarded it. It was easier to move on from my mistake with a neurograph than it is with other forms of art. I didn’t feel that my time spent creating it was wasted, because it’s all about the process itself. Happening to like the finished product is just a bonus.

If you are feeling troubled, I recommend trying this craft. It’s fun and satisfying, and a great way to dip your toes back into creating if you’ve been struggling with fears about making art like I have.

You can use this technique to work through all sorts of hard times though, not just those pertaining to art! So if you’re interested give it a go, you might be surprised by the results!

Happily Reorganized!

~ Ari October ~ Leave a comment
My art desk, plus one cubby under the TV, for drawing and watercolor painting supplies.
My acrylic painting station, and the “overflow cabinet” in the hallway.

After I was done decluttering my supplies, I took the opportunity to give each item a new and more productive home.

I wanted to keep supplies closer to where I’d actually use them, so I grouped my drawing and watercolor stuff together as I generally do both of those at the desk. I also moved my purse from the bottom drawer of the filing cabinet to make room for my acrylic supplies so they could be close to the easel!

I counted and I have a total of 14(!) sketchbooks, not counting the 4 I have fully filled. Out of those, 9 have been drawn in already. I’m only keeping the ones I’ve been most active in lately in the bedroom, I’m hoping that focusing on a few specific ones will help me fill them up faster.

With everything nicely organized, and plenty of supplies that I know I like just waiting to be used up, I think 2022 will be off to a good start 🙂

May the coming year be full of creation! Happy New Year everyone!

Everything in one place

~ Ari October ~ Leave a comment

So I decided not to make a written catalog of all of my art supplies because the idea was extremely daunting, especially after seeing the pile.

I included both my and my partner’s art supplies because we share with each other, even though some things are more mine and some things are more hers.

I ended up doing most of the decluttering as I removed things from the cabinet in the hallway. So what you see in that photo is pretty much just what was left as my “keep” pile. There were a few things though, like the Zebra Zensations mechanical colored pencils, and the 6 sheets of Canson XL watercolor paper, that went bye bye after this photo.

I decluttered all of my tempura paints (because I’m now using acrylics instead!), a Winsor and Newton Cotman travel watercolor set (I have every color in that set and more in my custom palette), several sets of Crayola crayons, and quite a few other miscellaneous little things. And that’s just the art supplies! I also donated a bunch of baby stuff that our daughter has already outgrown, some clothes that don’t suit me, and other random household items we no longer need.

This has been the biggest declutter since my first big purge back in January of 2019. Hard to believe I’ve been pursuing the minimalist lifestyle for so long now! I’m hoping the No Buy can help me do better now and in the future.

Although I’ve been fighting my hoarding tendencies over the last 3 years, I hadn’t really combatted the real root of the problem: my shopping addiction. I’ve learned to let things go when they stop serving me, but I haven’t learned to stop acquiring things in the first place. This lead me to buy things only to declutter them a week or two later!

I’m really happy with how I ended up reorganizing everything, made the whole process worth it. I’ll be back shortly with a separate post about that!

Art supply “No Buy” 2022?!

~ Ari October ~ 2 Comments

Recently I was gifted a pack of 60 acrylic paint markers from my partner, and a box easel from her dad! I’ve always wanted an easel, and I really love paint markers, so obviously this made me very happy.

I also bought myself the 320 pack of Ohuhu bullet/chisel duel tip markers (HUGE splurge, wow that was expensive!), 2 sets of 16 count 2oz Craft Smart acrylic paints, and a pad of Canson Oil & Acrylic paper.

I have a LOT of art supplies. I have decluttered them a few times, but I always end up buying more because my brain wants a shiny new thing. I have more unfinished sketchbooks on hand than I want to admit, and a whole cabinet of art supplies just collecting dust. In a lot of aspects I’m a minimalist, but art supplies are my weakness!

Quite simply, I am an art supply hoarder. No surprise there, I used to hoard everything, not just art supplies! It’s just a lot easier to talk myself into thinking I need a new art supply rather than the other random junk I used to accumulate.

So I’ve decided to take on a new challenge to hopefully make far more use of the things I already own… a No Buy year. Can I truly commit to not buying any new art supplies for a whole year? Only time will tell. I’m sure it can be done, but I have to be responsible and disciplined.

I’m not sure if I will allow myself to buy replacements for things I run out of. Maybe if it feels genuinely urgent for some reason. My Molotow liquid chrome marker is something I might consider getting another refill for if I were to somehow go through the entire refill I already have, as it’s my absolute favorite art supply. But maybe I shouldn’t!

I have so many things I need to use (or realize I’ll never use and thus donate) so it might be a good thing to run out of my favorite things! I do have a drawing tablet (an older Wacom, none of those fancy ones with the screens haha) so technically even if I ran out of ALL my traditional supplies I could still make art.

Since my problem is specifically hoarding and not just finances, I will also not allow myself to aquire new supplies for free unless I have a genuine need. If I completely run out of paper I may use scraps from the recycling bin for example, but otherwise, no free supplies from the charity, and I’ll have to tell people not to get me art supplies as gifts either.

Maybe in the future I can make a post where I catalog ALL of my art supplies. Maybe seeing it all in one place, KonMari style, will help me realize how bad the problem really is! And maybe I’d be able to declutter some things right away, things I know I truly do not need.

I’ll try to keep y’all updated with this challenge, as a way to hold myself accountable. Wish me luck!

A little reminder from Momentum

~ Ari October ~ Leave a comment

(Momentum is a browser extension I use to make the new tab page prettier, lol)

"Use the talents you possess, for the woods would be very silent if no birds sang except the best." (Quote from Henry Van Dyke.)
Such an empowering message, and much more eloquently written than #MAKEBADART! or #ArtIsForEveryone

I aspire to inspire as many people as possible to pursue creative endeavors.

I hate that so many people feel like they’re “not allowed” to draw/paint/write/sculpt/play an instrument/sing/dance/etc. just because they feel like they weren’t “born talented”. The thing is, “talent” doesn’t matter very much. Talent is just a natural inclination toward certain skills, it’s not truly a natural proficiency toward a specific hobby/craft/art. Drawing and painting are SKILLS that practically ANYONE can learn, given enough time and determination. People without arms have learned how to draw and paint, so I don’t like to hear silly excuses! Practice is what allows artists to become good at their crafts, whether they have “natural” talent or not. Frankly, calling people “talented” when they show you their work is a little insulting, because they worked really hard to get to where they are and you shouldn’t discount that. It’s something most people say though, because most people don’t know any better, so don’t worry too much. We know you just meant to be flattering!

Another thing is that art doesn’t have to be “good” to be worth creating. I love “easy” art, such as paint pouring and throwing, even though many classically trained artists stick their nose up at these mediums. Art should be accessible to people from all walks of life. This is part of why I create coloring pages, I consider coloring to be an artform in and of itself, and I like that providing the line art makes the act of picking up a crayon or marker a lot less intimidating for a lot of people. Every time someone colors one of my coloring pages, it’s a collaboration between myself and them, and I think that’s beautiful. An extra bonus is that I get to be lazy and not color it myself, while still considering the artwork finished! Win-win!

That all being said, you don’t HAVE to pursue anything artistic that you don’t want to. I’m not trying to pressure anyone into picking up a pencil if that’s not a way they genuinely want to spend their time. I just want to empower anyone who’s been longing to do so but is held back by fear. You don’t have to show anyone your work if you feel embarrassed about it, you can keep it all to yourself like a private journal. (I do encourage you to share your work though, in communities of artists around the same skill level as yourself!) Don’t spend so much time worrying about how old you are and how long you could have been at this craft, because until you die it’s NEVER too late to start. I promise!

I’ll leave this off with another quote…

"There is no 'right' way to make art. The only wrong is in not trying, not doing. Don't put barriers up that aren't there - just get to work and make something." (Quote from Lisa Golightly)
Thanks to My Modern Met for providing the image… see the full article I swiped this from HERE! It’s full of all sorts of inspiring quotes like this one, I really enjoyed reading it.

(Literally nothing in this post was sponsored, I just like to give proper credit to things, sorry if anything came off as advertisement-y lol!)