Sophie Ashdown

So I decided to embark on the Artquest 30/30 challenge where I create and upload a new piece of art each day for 30 days. This is certainly a challenge for me since score I started this course, my paintings would take weeks or even months to make.

Could I really find the time to do this when I already struggle to have any time to myself on a regular day? Time would tell.

Luckily I have been exploring a lot of ink drawings recently and I thought that I could make a small ink drawing each day.

So armed with a stack of A5 cards, pencil, eraser, rulers, and ink pens of various sizes, I was ready to start the challenge.

On day one I was way too ambitious with what I could do with the time I had available. In my mind I wanted to create a small cityscape with a geometric sky. I gave myself an hour to make it but after an hour I had barely done the buildings. I ended up having to make it way more simplified and effectively unfinished because I didn’t have anywhere near the detail I wanted on the buildings. And I needed to upload it by 5:30 as I was going out with my boys that evening.

So I rushed the sky which meant that it turned out uneven and not what I had envisioned. But it was something and I learned a lot about how much I can realistically do, even when it’s only on A5.

On day two I thought I would be simpler but again the idea in my head proved to be more complicated to deliver than I thought. I wasn’t able to start the piece until 10pm after my boys went to bed so I didn’t have much time. I was enjoying making the piece but then I realised that it was after 11pm and I had to upload the work by 11:30 or I would be out of the challenge. I couldn’t let myself fail on day two!

I had intended to colour the straight sections in black but ran out of time. I do like the concept though and I think I could do this in a larger size with a lot more detail and it would be quite impactful.

On day three I was really pushed for time and loaded the piece at 11:28pm. Just two minutes before the deadline!!

Unfortunately I didn’t quite finish it again so here is what I uploaded:

And here is the same piece with the extra sections filled in:

I like the completed version of the image, except for the polka dot section at the top right. It doesn’t blend with the others somehow, likely because of the positive/negative space. I think it would be interesting to do this one in a larger size, but without the polka dots.

So what did I learn in the first three days of this challenge?

1. Set aside more time to make the pieces
2. Simplify my expectations of what is possible
3. Start earlier
4. Forgive myself if it’s not perfect

I would say that number 1 and number 4 are the hardest for me. Life is very busy for me and carving out time for this challenge is a challenge in itself. But if I readjust a few things I can get better.

Forgiving myself for pieces that I’m not totally happy with is a learning process for me. But a healthy one. In a way it is helping me to “let go” of the expectations I put on myself and understand my creative process better so I know what is humanly (or Sophie-ly?!?) possible within the constraints I’m up against.

I have more to write about the pieces that have come after this but I’m aware that my posts are often too long so I’m trying to break them up a bit into smaller chunks. Which is what I need to do with the rest of my life really!