If you’ve been following ARHtistic License for a while, you’ve probably noticed that I love challenges. Every October I participate in two—OctPoWriMo (October: Poetry Writing Month, not to be confused with April, National Poetry Month) and Inktober, a drawing challenge.

Now, you probably also know that I’m my husband’s caretaker, and his needs come first. If I miss a daily blog post, it’s either because Greg needed me, or I was exhausted by daily life and took a nap instead. I know my limitations, so I will not commit to producing 31 poems and 31 drawings in October. My goal is to write a poem on most odd-numbered days and make a drawing (or maybe a Zentangle—I’ve missed doing those) on most even-numbered days. If I end up doing 14 of each, I’ll be super pleased with myself.

I’m a little concerned about OctPoWriMo; I went to the website early this afternoon and it looked like it was in suspended animation. There isn’t any pre-OctPoWriMo buzz on it yet, but the header does say OctPoWriMo 2021. I may just go ahead and write poems anyway.

I’d like to extend the challenges to you, too! If you’ve been meaning to add a little creative art to your life, join in on one or both of the challenges. You are not obligated to do something every single day of the month, but it is a good discipline. If you’re going to try, let us know in the comments below. And each day in October, if you post your challenge offering on your blog or social media, add a link to the comments on one of my posts so we can all come and take a look at what you’ve done. I hope to hear from you soon!