We’re going live today for our first Inktober Meetup Call 🎉 🕖 1 Oct, 7pm UK / 2pm EST 👉 You’ll find the call right here inside Skool under “Events” (or on the main feed – I’ll update the link before we start). What to bring: ✏️ A pen or pencil 📓 Any sketchbook or scrap paper ☕ A cup of tea (or whatever you like to sip) What we’ll do: ✨ Gentle, fun drawing warm-ups (blind contour + moustaches!) ✨ Share tips on finding prompts & ideas ✨ Get to know each other as a group ✨ Set our own Inktober intention — whether you make 1 drawing, 7 drawings, or all 31, you’ll leave with a light-hearted commitment that fits you. This is about showing up, enjoying the process, and starting the month with courage, not pressure. See you there! Sarmed 🎨

@Sarmed Mirza accountability check-in 🙌 I noticed my mind was really scattered this morning and it took time to get into a quieter mind while smashing hacks 1,2,&3 together

Dropping a heart felt thank you @Sarmed Mirza for daring to pursue your passion and creating the space for this opportunity I have to connect with pen, paper, and myself. Did my exercises this morning before my first call of the day. Everyday is packed with priorities and execution for me and making time to do THIS 🤌 fuels my spirit in ways I cannot express. It's nothing impressive, but the healing and energy from something so simple is undeniable. So thank you 🙏

Blind contour drawing is one of the simplest and most widely taught exercises in the art world. But through my own experiences I’ve found new ways to use it, ways that opened my eyes to how powerful it really is. Even if you’ve tried it before, I hope you’ll discover fresh benefits here. ✨I call it visual listening. It strengthens your attention muscle and teaches you to really look 👀. Here’s what it does: 🎯 Removes the irritation of “where do I start” when a subject feels overwhelming. 🪄 Trains you to take the first step and then the second without the pressure of correcting mistakes. 🧭 Reveals your natural tendency to judge. Every urge to peek is just distraction. Quick tip: when you feel like looking down or lifting the pen, imagine your subject saying, “Hey… do you not want to look at me?” 😌 Helps you relax into drawing and even makes it fun. Try it with a friend, kids, or while travelling. It is a mindful way of seeing more deeply than just snapping a photo. 📖 Builds a record of how you have seen the world and feeds not only realism but abstraction too as you collect visual data through attention. 🌿 If you are a hobbyist this can also calm you down without the pressure of accuracy. You can even use it as a way to focus attention in other parts of your life and work. 👨‍👩‍👧 Do it with family to really sit down together and share a few rich seconds. It becomes a memory to keep with you. I have done this with kids and they love it. 👉 Watch the video, then give blind contour a try for 1–2 minutes and share your drawing below. Remember it is not about the result. It is about building your ability and stamina to really see. So who will you draw today? Your own hand, a friend, a leaf, even your dog as it moves. You could pause a film and sketch a scene or simply pick something nearby. Anything works. The point is to stay with it and keep looking 👀 No judgement, just attention 💬 🎨 CTA: Give it a go today and post your contour sketches in the comments.

🌟 Imagine looking back in 31 days and seeing how far your sketches have come. That is what Inktober can do. It is not about perfection, it is about building a habit together. ✍️ Drawing is not life or death. But it does ask us to face embarrassment. To put down a line and know others will see it. To risk it looking stiff, messy, or awkward. 😅 The trick is to laugh at our own sketches first. If you can smile at your mistakes, nobody can shame you. I laugh at my own work all the time, because if I tied my identity to every mark, I would be paralysed. 📞 Inktober Kickoff Call — 1st Oct, 7pm UK / 2pm EST We will: * Say hello and meet each other. * Introduction to Inktober. * Warm up with blind contours of each other * Share tips for finding images and turning prompts into ideas * Explore and discuss how to add emotions like joy, sadness, or mischief into your drawings * Share our current creative challenges and explore positive ways forward together By the end you’ll have your first playful Inktober sketch, a lighter relationship with those ‘embarrassing’ first marks, and a practice that fits naturally into your life. 💡 Before the call: * Check the Inktober post here for prompts and inspiration * Download the 3 Hacks for Inktober which will be your best friends this month for loosening up, building confidence, and keeping momentum * Mark the date and ask any questions below. 🤝To join, just check back here on the day. I’ll update this post with either the Zoom link or we’ll go live directly inside Skool. 👉 Are you ready to tackle the hesitation to share your sketches? 📢 Comment below to declare you are in. Let us make October light hearted, fun, and full of courage.