While October is known for the changing of the season and various traditional autumn celebrations, it is also a special month in the artistic community.

Jake Parker, a Utah-based artist, began what is known as “Inktober” in 2009. For every day of October, artists are challenged to make ink art based on a template crafted by Parker. They then share their art on social media platforms like Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter.

Freshman artist Lola Mullins was introduced to Inktober by her parents and has participated for 2 years. “I really like Inktober. The freedom it gives encourages artists to be bold and start doing. You do it head first with ink so you can’t erase it,” said Mullins.

Junior Alex Ly uses Inktober to express himself in a different way. “I personally do Inktober for my calligraphy skills. I think it really [connects artists] because one of the rules you have to do for Inktober is to post it on social media, so it really connects everybody who does Inktober and how we can communicate,” said Ly.

According to Ly, Inktober helped him refine his craft, and he hope to continue to participate for years to come.

Freshman Alianne Kastner has submitted work during the Inktober event for 3 years. “I see a lot more collabs around Inktober than usual,” said Kastner, adding that she enjoys expressing her “aesthetic” through Inktober’s “spooky” art.

The trend has continued to grow over the years, with over 5.3 million posts currently including the Instagram hashtag #Inktober2019.

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