While 2020 might not have been the best year (or close to it), a lot of good came out of it for me in terms of personal creative goals. I’ve nearly finished my fantasy coloring book, I worked on a ton of artwork for stickers, and my biggest accomplishment that I’m so grateful for, I finally finished the book I’ve been writing for about four years. During the time I had to myself, I felt like I could let loose in my creative projects and just have fun.
Then I got a call from my job.
Don’t get me wrong, I am super grateful I was able to safely return to work. Both of my jobs opened up near the same time, and I was given plenty of hours to make up the lost time from lockdown. Then I was given more. And more. And more. Suddenly, I had very little time left to myself. It was so jarring after having so much time off to suddenly be doing 45-hour workweeks. I had less time to do the creative projects that meant so much to me, and on top of all that, I had to move. There was just no time for that stuff.
After a few months of these long weeks, more workers were taken on board and my hours returned to (somewhat) normal. Still, I had been so occupied with it that I had to pick and choose my personal projects. Out of all of them, I went with the book that is currently being edited as we speak. I put all my time and energy outside of work into this project, and while I don’t regret it one bit, I still felt like I was missing something.
I wanted to draw. I’ve been drawing since I was a little kid and I don’t think I’ll ever stop. I’m no professional, but it’s what I love to do. However, little by little I had to pack all my art supplies away as I prepared for the move at the end of the summer. I had some sketchbooks, but I still couldn’t think of what I wanted to draw. Creative block hit me hard.
Then October came. Now, I had been talking with Joel, the head of Linktober, in anticipation for our big collaboration project, but I thought my focus would just be that. I had done Inktober challenges in the past, even though I would usually wind up doing them “wrong.”
Normally prompts bother me when it comes to art. I always felt as though they stifled my creativity. What if I didn’t want to draw that prompt? Or what if I couldn’t think of any ideas? Usually, I would end up either drawing whatever I wanted or made up themes that interested me. Last October I did a full month of Fire Emblem busts for 31 days straight simply because I felt like it.
However, seeing all the prompts for this year and how excited all my friends at Zelda Universe were getting, I thought perhaps I should give Linktober a try as well. Now, I fully admit I missed a few days. Some I just had no time for and others I didn’t have any ideas at all. It happens. But for most of these prompts, visions filled my head and it all started with day two’s prompt, “Princess.”
I was certain it would be easy. I’d draw Princess Zelda. Done. Or maybe not. Which iteration of Zelda should I draw? I made a list in my head: Twilight Princess, A Link Between Worlds, the original Zelda from the first game — I wanted to do something a little more unique. With that in mind, somehow CD-i Zelda popped into mind. Then Zelda from the cartoon series. Then it hit me:
My very first Linktober prompt, and I couldn’t be more proud. I think I’d have been just fine if I drew Princess Zelda as originally intended, but the fact that I sat down and really thought about it, and came up with (what I think is) an outside-the-box idea made me feel really good. This was just the first of many drawings.
There were some that were silly:
Some that were serious:
And some that were somewhere in between:
There were pieces I was proud of:
And ones that I thought were just OK:
Prompts that I took at face value:
And prompts that I had a little fun with:
The challenge allowed me to pick characters that I adored:
As well as put ones to paper that I would never think to draw on my own:
Once again, while I couldn’t necessarily complete every prompt for one reason or another, I am so happy to have taken this challenge. Maybe it was because it was about a topic I am so passionate about, or maybe it was seeing all of the creative people who were taking part.
Speaking with Captain Joel, I never felt pressured to get every prompt done or to do things as certain way. Seeing all the unique ways people interpret these prompts stirred up the creativity in me once again, making me want to pick up my pens and draw. For real, you could have a prompt like “Deku Stick” and have a million different outcomes! I would sit at my craft table, sketching for sometimes hours at a time, thinking of all the things I could create and be part of this wonderful celebration of creativity in the gaming community.
Now that Linktober has ended, I don’t know where my creative journey will take me next. Work will always be a factor at play and life is never going to stop having its ups and downs, especially in times like these. While I am currently feeling invigorated and want to keep the art going, I am certainly thankful to the whole Linktober team for making this challenge possible and helping me back into my artistic groove. I would highly recommend for any Zelda-loving artist in need of that little nudge to put your creativity to the test.
