INKTOBER
2017
BY NATHAN KOROL Nathankorol.com / Instagram: @npkorol
INKTOBER DAY # 1 SWIFT
Inktober was unknown to me before starting this year, but the initiative to focus on each day to create something personal couldn’t have happened at a more vital time. These drawings are fragments of myself, daily meditations of art therapy that kept me afloat during a very difficult time. A swift warm-up - getting familiar with my media and colors - drawing shapes and shades that felt right. Made me think about the fictional "Swiftthistle" used to make Thistle Tea, which restores 100 energy on use, 5-min cooldown. A reference to happier times +10 years ago.
INKTOBER DAY # 2 DIVIDE
Not very subtle... A divided heart. Rawness and boldness, searching for understanding in the midst of emotional confusion. Drawing what the heart feels can externalize that pain and make it more bearable. "Live your life from your heart. Share from your heart. And your story will heal and unite people's souls." - Melody Beattie
INKTOBER DAY # 3 POISON
Many toxic options for this prompt. I preferred staying spontaneously playful by imagining a microcosmic dwelling for an elusive shroom-gnome. Not all poison received has to be ingested. "Whatever happens around you, don't take it personally... Nothing other people do is because of you. It is because of themselves." - Miguel Ruiz
INKTOBER DAY # 4 UNDERWATER
A metaphor for consciousness, enlightenment, and facing our inner demons. "May we exist like the lotus at ease in muddy waters" - Zen Proverb
INKTOBER DAY # 5 LONG
Just turning 28, reflecting on 5 years feels like a long time; and it is. However, we need both the present and whole life perspectives to guide our journey. Experience and failure is something that can be used to rebuild. It's only "wasted" if you don't change anything (as the changing shapes for each age do). "Sometimes life seems really short, and other times it seems impossibly long. But this chart helps to emphasize that it's most certainly finite." - Tim Urban (Wait But Why)
INKTOBER DAY # 6 SWORD
"It's dangerous to go alone, take these!" (Swords) From the original Legend of Zelda game, this collection references fantasy swords from other beloved video games used to help on challenging quests. Find the joy in nostalgia and inspiration from the hero's journey.
INKTOBER DAY # 7 SHY “Shyness and introversion are not the same thing. Shyness is the fear of negative judgment, and introversion is a preference for quiet, minimally stimulating environments.� - Susan Cain An introvert can become shy after continually receiving the message that there's something wrong with them. Identifying what is going on within us is a vital daily activity. Introverts need to understand their own personality type and work towards their strengths, not becoming discomforted by the perceptions labels of others.
INKTOBER DAY # 8 CROOKED
Expectations for our goals, hopes and dreams rarely match reality. Better to fail extraordinarily along the crooked vicissitudes of life than conclude having taken the path of least resistance. This is graph is just decoration, but the message is about understanding that pain is inevitable in life. We cannot have pain-free lives. Learn to enjoy the pain you have, it's trying to tell you something very important. Running away or giving up is NOT going to give you (and those who care about you) a better life, just more pain.
INKTOBER DAY # 9 SCREECH
The Scream with screeching guitar. Just a fun cross-over in appreciation for heavy metal and Scandinavian Expressionism painters. The freedoms of others should be respected, including the freedom to offend. To willfully and unjustly encroach upon the freedoms of another is to forgo your own.
INKTOBER DAY # 10 GIGANTIC
The mighty Giant Sequoia... bonsai. Things are not always what they seem. See your surroundings as opportunities for play and exploration (with squatches).
INKTOBER DAY # 11 RUN
The lazy egg becomes the runny egg -- because life is too exciting to be bored or depressed! An adage that challenges the existential plight of the lazy egg "Gudetama." "Gude gude" is used to describe someone with no energy or strength, and Gudetama is characteristically hard to motivate with a negative, defeatist attitude... Exercise is an essential self-care. If you're feeling depressed and don't work out, the first step to better mental health should be obvious. Burn your pain to fuel your journey.
INKTOBER DAY # 12 SHATTERED
Kintsugi ("golden joinery"), also known as Kintsukuroi ("golden repair"), is the Japanese art of repairing broken pottery with lacquer dusted or mixed with powdered gold, silver, or platinum. Optimism vs pessimism - don't just see yourself as broken without also seeing the opportunity to heal stronger and more beautiful than before.
INKTOBER DAY # 13 TEEMING
Fun phytoplankton wanderers. Something alien and unexpected within something familiar. Shifting scales can sometimes give us greater appreciation for life, and Krabby Patties.
INKTOBER DAY # 14 FIRECE Unleash your inner great cat! A call to action - to imagine a new strategy other than the current dysfunctional one. (Sorry, Hobbes.) Survivor - Eye of the Tiger: “Rising up, back on the street Did my time, took my chances Went the distance, now I'm back on my feet Just a man and his will to survive So many times it happens too fast You trade your passion for glory Don't lose your grip on the dreams of the past You must fight just to keep them alive" ...
INKTOBER DAY # 15 MYSTERIOUS
Forgotten artifacts fueling mysterious industry. An old improvisational art style that grows out of architectural randomness. Let yourself go into the unknown, be curious, be humble, and be good to yourself.
INKTOBER DAY # 16 TRAIL
The world can be dark and scary - or an adventure waiting to happen. Seeking something might leave you wanting; better to go out expecting nothing and be pleasantly surprised by what you find. Go blaze your own trail! Rediscover yourself!
INKTOBER DAY # 17 GRACEFUL
The Myth of Sisyphus personifies the absurdity of human life, but there is also a certain grace within that absurdity - to keep going. "The struggle itself towards the heights is enough to fill a man's heart." - Albert Camus Pain is relative, but universal. We alone must own responsibility to bear our burdens - with grace.
INKTOBER DAY # 18 FILTHY
Praise the sun in jolly co-operation! A call to arms for the highest self; dismissing the casual low-level commitment of simple gameplay. Be your own player 2. Haters gonna hate.
INKTOBER DAY # 19 CLOUD
"It is better to have your head in the clouds, and know where you are... than to breathe the clearer atmosphere below them, and think that you are in paradise." - David Henry Thoreau Clouds often symbolize delusion or ill omen of stormy times. We cannot fight nature - only find it's silver linings. Just be prepared for the rain.
INKTOBER DAY # 20 DEEP
A deep neural network that learns from trial and error. We must understand our underlying strategies for problem solving and survival. Connecting the dots can help give 20/20 hindsight, just make sure to apply the knowledge and emotions gained for all possible trials ahead.
INKTOBER DAY # 21 FURIOUS
"If you want to be a real human being - a real woman, a real man - you cannot tolerate things which put you to indignation, to outrage. You must stand up. I always say to people, 'Look around; look at what makes you unhappy, what makes you furious, and then engage yourself in some action." - Stephane Hessel Don't just be angry (passive) - be the change. (take action)
INKTOBER DAY # 22 FAT
Chanko nabe, the breakfast of (sumo) champions. Literally "Sumo stew." Fat isn't typically glorified or desirable in western culture, it's a stigma. Yet the exact opposite perspective exists elsewhere, in sumo wrestling. The point is to see the potential in life, not the stigma; especially if it can make you a champion of something.
INKTOBER DAY # 23 JUICY
Fruity and playful art styles. This juicy squad is a collection of personalities that mirror our shifting moods. We are just one big juicy family. Be nice and play safe.
INKTOBER DAY # 24 BLIND
The blind king sits on a throne of eyes. Looking for understanding; tormented while unknowingly surrounded by resources. "Blind spots" can be surprising and devastating... Do the work to gain clarity and overcome gaps of understanding.
INKTOBER DAY # 25 SHIP "I live on Earth at present, and I don't know what I am. I know that I am not a category. I am not a thing - a noun. I seem to be a verb, an evolutionary process an integral function of the universe." - R. Buckminster Fuller A cosmic perspective of our mortal life dramas. We all have our own narratives and labels we give ourselves and others to help us make sense of our life. We shouldn't distort scientific facts to fit our beliefs or disrespect others to fuel our own esteem. We’re all just passgengers on spaceship Earth.
INKTOBER DAY # 26 SQUEAK
Happiness is finding the pain, work and struggle you enjoy sustaining. The cheese (goal) is not happiness; happiness comes from the continual work (process), the struggle, being comfortable in our own skin, and overcoming the pain that follows us through life.
INKTOBER DAY # 27 CLIMB
I loved climbing trees as a child and it's never too late to build a dream treehouse in the future. This spirit is personified in the Adventure Time Tree Fort (reference art by Max Degtyarev). Reconnect with your childhood dreams, build that treehouse, go on adventures, make the world a better place.
INKTOBER DAY # 28 FALL
Fall colors and falling leaves; a time to take inventory of your harvest to make it through the bitter cold months ahead. There can be such beauty in nature's cycle of life, death, and renewal. Enjoy it while it lasts.
INKTOBER DAY # 29 UNITED
Divided but seeking unity. A process that takes more than just time, but also patience, self-care, and constant daily effort. "In times of division and strife, build bridges to the hearts of those clouded by anger, hurt, hatred, and ignorance, so you can help open and understand their minds and hearts, and they can understand yours." - Imania Margria
INKTOBER DAY # 30 FOUND
What once was lost, was always here Deep deep inside unknowing layers Of onion facade grown year after year. Find and reconnect with your emotional center, your inner child, your higher self. Listen carefully and remove all other distractions or "noise" that conflict with your inner compass.
INKTOBER DAY # 31 MASK We all wear a mask -An inner-flame guardian For breezy seasons. A haiku and self-portrait to conclude a month of introspection, art therapy, and active self-care. Recovery from addiction and codependency cannot be overcome alone. Seek out friends and family, counselling, group therapy and healthy sources of joy creation. Each day is a chance to turn pain into growth, art, and love for yourself and the world. "Don't give up!"