Remember that dusty sketchbook in your drawer, slowly judging you every time you say, “Tomorrow, I will start drawing”? Well, it’s October, and it’s time to find the perfect excuse to finally pick up that pen. Those who have been on Instagram have seen impressive ink renderings raining down every autumn, the magic of some viral art phenomenon called Inktober: changing beginners into confident artists, one day at a time.
Inktober is a month-long challenge in the world of art occurring every October 1, making it possible for artists from anywhere around the world to create and share one ink drawing per day over 31 consecutive days.
It was created in June 2009 by the illustrator Jake Parker, who set this Inktober challenge up for himself as a personal challenge to develop his inking skills and to form consistent drawing habits. Posts of over 12 million at Instagram alone made it so famous, becoming the biggest creative boot camp for aspiring artists.
It is simple but beautiful. The official Inktober list gives one word a day as a prompt for inspiring an individual’s imagination to guide the creative journey.
These Inktober prompts spare from the horrible “blank page paralysis” that keeps many beginners at bay. Even in the last day, you never get to stare at an empty canvas wondering what to draw; you have an everyday creative mission.
Having seen a lot of creative transformations, I cannot stress enough how game-changing this challenge is for starters. Here’s the thing: Practice is needed to keep art alive, and practice is made possible with consistency. Automatically, that consistency is created by the Inktober challenge.
After just a week of doing it, you will realize how drawing becomes less of a burden and more of a daily ritual: brushing your teeth, but infinitely more satisfying.
The rules are refreshingly open. There is ink in the name, but you can pretty much do whatever: digital art, pencils, brush pens, markers, whoever calls to you. The goal is not perfection; it’s progress. Every sketch, every shaky line, every ‘failure’ is a victory in its own right because you stepped up to create something.
This October of Inktober 2025, thousands of artists will begin their journeys into creativity, building skills, discovering their own style, and joining in a great global community that revels in every sketch.
The challenge is not about creating masterpieces-it’s about showing up and pushing through blocks and letting yourself know that yes, you can commit to your art. Ready to make those “someday” dreams daily realities?
