It’s almost January! And you know what that means… the return of the popular free Instagram challenge for artists of all kinds, 21 Days in My Art World!

Part of the richness of being an artist is the connection – to your own inner artist and to creative source yes, but also to other artists, and perhaps even to potential collectors.

The connection part can feel quite daunting for many of us, because it means ‘going public’ in some way.

It can feel incredibly vulnerable and scary to share what you’ve made, much less to offer it for sale – for many it’s like revealing a piece of your soul, which means opening yourself and your work up to scrutiny and judgement.

Tempting, right?!

The arrival of Instagram changed that for a lot of us. It’s offered a place for creative communities that are supportive, kind, and enthusiastic about each other’s wins.

I’ve met so many other artists around the world through Instagram and have found it to be friendly and encouraging, as well as a great platform for connecting with others and selling work.

And so a few years ago I devised a challenge, or as I like to think of it, an invitation.

We’ll call it a challenge as that’s language that many of us are used to, since they are everywhere these days. But think of it as an invitation if that feels less onerous!

How it will enrich your life 😁

This challenge is aimed at making it easier to connect with other artists and kindred spirits, and, if you like, with possible collectors of your work.

The added bonus is that it’s designed to build your ‘story’ as an artist.

It’ll help you clarify aspects of your own process, what works and what doesn’t, and hopefully make it easier to talk about your work and motivations.

Art collectors also often love to know more about the person behind the art – this will give them a glimpse behind the curtain and help us connect with each other as humans and creative beings.

How it works

Over 21 days, starting Monday 3rd January 2022, we’ll share aspects of our unique artist worlds as a way to connect and expand.

We’ll invite people in to see what being an artist is like for us, what we’ve learned, what we love, what inspires us, what’s not so easy.

We’ll talk to each other about what it means to each of us to be an artist, and our dreams and plans.

If you’ve been wanting to connect and share more but have felt tentative about doing so, or even if you’re used to it by now but would love to expand further, you’re very welcome to join us!

Feel free to share either image in this post with anyone you think might like to join in – you can download them by right clicking and saving to your computer, or taking a screen shot on your phone.

You could also pin either or both to Pinterest. Sharing is not compulsory, although of course the more the merrier!

On Instagram we’ll be using the hashtag #21daysinmyartworld, which is how we’ll find each other. I encourage you to comment on each others’ posts and embrace the connections!

If you’re not yet sure about how to use hashtags or how they work, there’s some great info here.

If you’d like to join us and receive the daily inspiration and encouragement emails, sign up below.

The emails are designed to help you find fun ways to interpret each prompt and to keep the momentum going, if that feels helpful. Or you can go rogue and riff off the prompts yourself each day!

You’re welcome whether you just join in for a handful of days, or stick with it for the whole three weeks. It doesn’t have to be about selling your work if that’s not something you want to be doing.

The only rule is no ‘I must catch up’ pressure! Takes all the fun out of it.😊  {This is why I don’t like the word challenge. It seems to activate some kind of performance pressure in people!}

Help spread the word!

Here are a couple of thingies to share on Instagram – copy and paste, and edit them as you wish.

Or you can share the image containing the daily prompts anywhere you like! Sharing is not compulsory. {Nothing is compulsory!}

Want to feel more confident about sharing your art and connecting with other artists and collectors? Join the free challenge, 21 Days in My Art World, hosted by @taraleaver here: www.bit.ly/myartworld22

I’m going to be doing the 21 Days in My Art World Challenge with @taraleaver on Instagram in January! Want to join me? It’s completely free! Head to bit.ly/myartworld22

Joining in with @taraleaver’s free 21 Days in My Art World challenge to reach more potential collectors and get comfortable sharing my work! Want to join me? >> www.bit.ly/myartworld22

In summary

• 21 day challenge/invitation on Instagram {#21daysinmyartworld} starting January 3rd 2022 to get us all connecting more, clarifying our own processes, and feeling more comfortable with putting our work out there.
• You can join in without signing up for emails, but should you wish to receive daily ideas, resources and encouragement, click here. {There’s also a bonus gift for those who decide to join us in the Happy Artist Studio after!}
• Help spread the word by sharing the image containing the prompts and/or one of the suggested snippets above. Thank you!

So will you be joining us? Any questions or clarification required please leave a comment! And thank you in advance for sharing it with your friends!