Welcome to An Everglades Sketchbook!

I opened An Everglades Sketchbook nearly a month ago and I've come to realize that the dreaded white page does not just apply to my sketchbook or art journal! I cannot tell you how many times I've opened a "New Post" and blankly stared at the giant white space that Google screamed "Enter text here" at me. Everyday I tossed around ideas and everyday I did not follow through on any of them. Finally, I became resigned to the fact that my blog just may never be....for all of the things I wanted to do and say, how could I possibly organize my thoughts and actually begin?? 

Just when I was about to give up on this whole blogging thing, I received an email from Cloth Paper Scissors (one of my very favorite mixed media magazines) announcing the sale of a new art kit in preparation of #InkTober. A few clicks here, a few Google searches there, and my thoughts finally came together into one singular idea:

What better way to begin my new blog than with a sketchbook challenge!?

Now, I am notorious for starting projects and not finishing them. This is one of the main reasons that I am drawn (haha pun intended!) to doing this challenge. Of the numerous challenges I've come across when blog hopping, something about #InkTober just felt right. Drawing in pen is very new to me, but I'm incredibly excited about its permanency, honing my skills and learning how to "see". I'm hoping that by committing to #InkTober publicly, even if no one is reading this blog yet, I will be able to finish what I start while building a great habit for myself - drawing something everyday.

#InkTober is a worldwide endeavor created by Jake Parker. Every October since 2009, thousands of artists participated in this month long challenge to create an ink drawing for every day of the month. The rules are simple: While the goal is to create one ink drawing per day, it's not required - In fact, you can go the marathon route and do seven in one day if you so feel inclined. Post your drawings to your blog and/or favorite social media network and add the hashtag #InkTober and you're done! For more information, visit Jake Parker's InkTober website here!