As the year wraps up, I keep thinking about one moment from earlier this year that still means a lot to me when I participated in an art challenge. What led to my decision to join came from a period during my doctoral studies when I was focused on passing each semester and placed my art passion on the back burner.
During the pandemic, health, family, and finishing the dissertation were all I could think about. Sadly, in six years, I only created four tiny five by seven-inch pieces. I knew something was off. Little by little, my desire to create dwindled until it felt like it disappeared.
In retrospect, I wish I had done the opposite and used art as a coping mechanism for stress and anxiety. But dark shadows had taken over. A lack of motivation, negativity, stress, anxiety, frustration, confusion, all of it piled up and pushed creativity away.After graduating, the next challenge was converting my thesis into a publishable book. This time I was ready to bring art back into my publishing journey.
The question was how to return to a passion that had been dormant for so long. I decided to ease myself into things by joining the Strada art challenge and creating art for thirty-one days. Participants could paint or draw. I usually work with oils and acrylics, but for this challenge I chose to simplify and draw using a sketch pad, ink, and colored pencils. The challenge provided an encouraging daily observational practice. I learned to focus on different subjects each day, and the process slowly reignited my creative spark.
There were moments when I thought I would not have the time or motivation to draw, but it turned out to be the opposite. I enjoyed waking up and searching for a new subject to sketch. My focus shifted away from rushing or thinking about editorial deadlines. I was more excited to see when I would find the aha moment and discover my muse. The daily task helped me observe my surroundings, stay present, and see what inspiration transpired.
I was happy to complete the thirty-one days. The feeling I had afterward was enough motivation to push through the final stages of my publication journey. To my surprise, at the end of the challenge, I was one of the Strada winners. I took it as a sign from the universe to keep working on my artistic craft instead of letting it fall asleep again. The reward was not only the prize but the journey itself. The patience required to find the right subject. The persistence required to stick with something until the end. The joy of learning something new. I was so happy.
Five Lessons Learned During the Art Challenge: 1. Complexity in Simplicity The harder and more complex the still life appeared, the easier it was to draw. The complicated subjects pushed me to focus longer and pay attention to every nook and cranny. Meanwhile, the simpler subjects made me rush, which led to crooked lines, wrong colors, and lots of erasing. Surprisingly, the flowerpot and teacup were the hardest to sketch. Perfectionist Petunia says hi, but I need to channel Relaxed Rosetta next time.
2. Ink is the Star of the Show When I was younger, I used pastels, charcoal, and watercolor, so it surprised me that I enjoyed ink the most in this challenge. It felt cathartic. Maybe it was the simplicity of carrying only a sketchbook, pencil, eraser, ink pen, and color pencils. It did not take much room in my bag, and I could capture subjects quickly. Simple and satisfying, the ink really sparkled.
3. Keep your Allies Close It’s important to keep your allies close. Always keep your eraser and pencil sharpener nearby. Distractions happen. What you think is a straight line becomes a curve. Sometimes the subject moves and you need to start again.
4. Double Vision It helps to keep backup materials, like exra pens, colored pencils, and paper. I remember one moment when I was in the middle of drawing a leaf and my ink pen died. It may seem like only a leaf, but to an artist it is more than that. It is the thought process, the concentration, and the inspiration that all break in the middle. Thankfully, I had backups ready, and the leaf and daily task were completed.
5. Stay in Frame & on the Path I learned the importance of imagining an invisible grid to stay inside the frame. I kept drawing until I reached the top or bottom of the pad, the same way Forest Gump kept on running. I had to remind myself to stay centered. This part of the process taught me to practice more and remember to stay mindful of my space, inside and outside.
It was an honor to be surrounded by so many talented artists and see the wide range of work. A compilation of the 2025 Strada drawings is found in the collection inspired by people, the season, and everyday things.Some individual pieces are also available as prints in my shop HERE.
Cheers to new adventures, creative momentum, and artistic inspiration in 2026!
