Inktober x Bonesick

Here I go.

Last episode I revisited my tumultuous affair with Inktober—the (in)famous October daily drawing challenge—that has haunted me since 2019. Thirty-day challenges are meant to jump-start better habits, but when the challenge is a worldwide viral sensation, it can lead to some gnarly side effects like burnout and, oddly enough, loneliness.

Loneliness you say? This morning, I learned from Gail Cornwall, via the New York Times, that “Mattering” is way different than “Belonging.” I can belong to the group of thousands of artists who all decide to draw every day for a month, but do I matter that much to anyone following along? Not necessarily, and ouch.

We have to be the sole driver, caregiver, and champion of our creative journeys. To rely on outside validation is a losing strategy in the fight for our self-worth. We must matter to ourselves. So if we’re Inktobering [or participating in any viral challenge] to get noticed, we’re doing it wrong.

So how can I do it right this time around? What’s a better “why?”

When I imagined a pile of quick one-panel sketches, I found a legit, purposeful reason for embarking on this challenge. Early Bonesick subscribers may recall Toby’s “Sicada Box” from “The Lovers” Tarot Card in this episode (one of my all-time fave pieces to write, so do check it out). All we know about “The Box” so far is that it contains heartbreaking letters exchanged between Toby and his long-lost love. So what other painful memories are tucked away in that box o’ misery?

Inktober is a perfect vehicle to explore this question—without all the baggage of Inktober. I’ll get to world-build Bonesick, give life to Toby’s backstory, practice drawing, and practice my Tarot knowledge. Oh! And provide a soundtrack. Memories need a soundtrack. It’s also a perfect opportunity to go full Rebel and break the Inktober rules: I won’t limit myself to drawing prompts, and I’ll aim for daily-ish.

Logistics.

Am I going to bombard your inbox all month? Oh hell naw. In the Substack world, there’s this thing called Notes which is sort of like TwittXr. I’ve tweeted a total of five times in my entire life, so Notes is just not a thing in my world, but maybe it could be? To bust up the boulders of THAT resistance, I’ll post my daily-ish sketches on Notes. Then I’ll send a recap via my Substack, aka: your inbox. That recap will probably be every 10-14 days, so if you do want to follow the daily-ish cadence, download the Substack app here to make it easier on yourself.

BUT!

If you don’t follow along or that closely—per my renewed faith in viral challenges when used for good—that’s all good too. Cross my heart. Your regularly scheduled “Major Arcana Bonesick Tarot Storyline” will resume at the end of the year.