I Don’t Include Enough Men In My Art So I Participated In The Manly March Art Challenge 2021 (30 Pics)

I happened to stumble upon the challenge on Instagram. I started following Anke too from then. Art challenges have been a nice way to push myself to practice themes I wouldn’t on a regular basis. It also helps me get into the habit of drawing every day regardless of me doing it on a professional level. Manly March was also a part of this practice. Most importantly I worked on the challenge because I don’t draw men in my personal work and I usually draw them when I am commissioned to do so.

The prompt list provided by Anke Weckmann was a crucial factor in my creative process. Since I had to create a piece of art every day, it was challenging to come up with new themes consistently. However, Anke's list brought in the spontaneity and inspiration I needed for each drawing. It took me about an hour to brainstorm and create a piece each day. The challenge helped me overcome any art block or uncertainty I had with my ideas, and it was a great learning experience.

Art challenges have been a valuable part of my artistic practice, and I'm currently working on the '100 days challenge.' The challenge allows me to practice one thing that I want to focus on for 100 days. There is no set theme, but I'm taking this opportunity to go back to drawing in my sketchbook and plan to post the practice on my Instagram for the next 100 days.

As an artist, I believe it's important to challenge ourselves to include more diverse representations in our work. It's a tool for us to represent and understand ourselves and others better, and it can spark important conversations. It's essential to be vocal in what we draw, and we should use our art to speak for ourselves and others. Unfortunately, it's sad that very basic things are being normalized only in recent times, and this reflects within the comments of articles. Through my experience with the Manly March Art Challenge, I learned how simple drawings can trigger people, but I also saw people who spoke in support of me in the comments. Trust me, there are plenty of people waiting to hear us out through art.

Taking up art challenges helps in multiple ways, and it has been an integral part of my creative process. I find it useful to look through references, which helps me create an inventory in my head, and is a practice that sharpens my memory. Art challenges are a great way to push myself to practice themes that I wouldn't typically explore, and they help me get into the habit of drawing every day, regardless of whether it's for professional or personal reasons.