The horror… The horror.
Seems like there’s a lot of it around, these days. From pandemics and war to corruption, lies and the death of truth, it’s hard not to feel like we’re watching the end of the world in real time, while (as a popular meme says) somehow still having to go to work.
Welcome to the apocalypse.
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I believe in staying informed about what’s going on in the world. But, doing so has been hard on the ol’ “reason to keep getting out of bed in the morning” reserves lately. Everything seems terrible. Mostly because it is.
I felt the need to do something about that (for my own mental health and to try to inject something good into the world), and realized that the things that feed me and keep me sane usually revolve around creativity and art in all its forms.
I am not an artist by any stretch, but in addition to my love for consuming and enjoying others’ art, I do like to dabble in making art, despite not being very good at it. Finding the time and making myself do that is sometimes a struggle, and I do better when I’m given parameters - an assignment, a theme, some kind of structure, and maybe even a deadline.
I asked a couple of friends if they’d be interested in joining me in committing to weekly art assignments or “missions” as our own way of being defiant in the face of the apocalypse and its horrors. They stupidly said “yes.”
So, now we’re taking turns assigning art projects each Thursday, with our submissions due the following Thursday. The point isn’t necessarily to make “good” art - it’s just to commit to doing something creative with some regularity, and to enjoy seeing the art that others create.
If, like us, you feel the need for something fun and creative amongst the horror, you’re more than welcome to join us.
You’ll find the “rules” (loose as they may be) below.
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Each Thursday, a new “mission” (art assignment) will be posted below.Participants can devote as much or as little time and effort as they want and/or can afford that week. Spend five minutes jotting something on a napkin if that’s all you have time or energy for, or get carried away with a project and spend days on it - any amount of effort is welcome.
The point is not necessarily to make good art – it’s just to be accountable enough to others that you force yourself to make art of some kind each week, to share it with others, to get to enjoy others’ art, etc.
No one has to give any critique or suggestions or feedback at all. Of course you’re welcome to tell someone you really like their work, but this is not about criticism or even artistic feedback - it’s just for fun.
Submissions are due each Thursday by 7:00 p.m. (Eastern Time), but you can send them earlier that day or even earlier that week if you want.
For now (until/unless I come up with a better vehicle), projects are submitted by email to artpocalypsethursdays@gmail.com.
Attach a JPEG or PDF file of your artwork (if the assignment was written work, you could paste it in the body of the email instead of attaching, if you prefer).Along with your submission, include your name or (preferably) an alias you want to go by (Some of us feel more comfortable posting our art publicly under an alias instead of our actual names and, besides, it’s more fun that way). Bonus points if your alias is a reference to the movie Apocalypse Now.
Submission of your art is considered permission to include it on this website and/or associated social media accounts.
Don’t want to have your art viewed by the public? (even under an alias?) Totally understandable. Feel free to lurk and just enjoy what others create, or use the weekly missions to create art for yourself that you don’t share with us.
Submissions will be posted on this site for all to view - hopefully sometime on the Thursday they are due - perhaps slightly later when I’m busy. :)
The Missions:
Poetry To-Go: June 22-29, 2023
The Mission: When you are dining out, take a picture of the menu (or look up a menu online). Create a poem using words from the menu. Bonus points for 80% ratio of menu words…
Homemade Postcard: June 15-22, 2023
The Mission: Make a postcard using whatever materials you like - magazine cuttings, your own drawings or photos, part of a coloring book, a recipe card, etc. Mail the postcard to someone…
Personal Art History: June 8-15, 2023
The Mission: Find a piece of art you made in the past. It could be something you made just last week, but the longer ago the better - childhood art would be best! Show us a picture of that art, and then make some kind of art to go with it - a short story about how it came to be, a painting or poem reflecting on your old art, or whatever you like…
Ransom Note: June 1-8, 2023
The Mission: Create a ransom note. Cut out letters from a variety of sources and use them to create something - an actual ransom note, a poem, a favorite quote, etc. Bonus points if you leave a bag of unmarked bills outside my house for me…
Clay Sculpture: May 25-June 1, 2023
The Mission: Sculpt something out of clay or similar material - Play-Doh, Silly Puddy, mud, flan, whatever you’ve got lying around. Bonus points if you give it a clever title or backstory…
Not Your Thing: May 18-25, 2023
The Mission: Explore a type of art that doesn’t typically speak to you. Record your experience in some way - photos, writing, original artwork, whatever - and tell us how it either challenged or confirmed (or both) your preconceived notions about it.…
Monotography: May 11-18, 2023
The Mission: Pick a color or color family - the less prevalent the better. Take at least 4 and no more than 12 photos of things you see around you in your daily life that are in that same color family…
Ballad: May 4-11, 2023
The Mission: Write a ballad. You can take this to mean poetry or song, whichever you prefer. Bonus points if your ballad is written about a character from a TV show…
Paper Art: April 27-May 4, 2023
The Mission: Make art using paper - any kind of paper you have lying around, and any kind of art - origami, sculpture, collage, etc. The rules are wide open on this one…
Branding: March 30-April 27, 2023
The Mission: Create a logo or brand for one of (or both of) the following fake businesses/products: 1. Dr. Charles E. Fromage III - A high-end, adult version of Chuck E. Cheese… 2. Ubiquitrel - A new drug that is used to treat over-exposure to pharmaceutical commercials…
Artist Info: March 23-30, 2023
The Mission: Think of an artist you like. Do some (minimal) research to discover something about them you did not previously know. Use this new information to make art of some kind, using whatever medium or format you like. Bonus points if your art is in the style of or nods to the original artist in some way…
Zentangle: March 16-23, 2023
The Mission: Create a Zentangle. Basically, you draw a square and divide it into sections, and then fill those sections by drawing repetitive patterns and zenning out while doing it. It’s supposed to relax you and be meditative, but mostly it just seems like an easy way to make art this week. Let’s give it a try…
Miss You: March 9-16, 2023
The Mission: Think of someone you miss. Write something to or about them - a letter, a postcard, a poem, a short story - whatever you feel like…
One Year: March 2-9, 2023
The Mission: In honor of Artpocalypse Thursdays reaching the one year mark, make art that represents one year. It can specifically represent YOUR past year from March 2022 to March 2023, or it can just be art that represents a calendar year in general somehow. Medium, style, etc. are all your choice…
Printmaking with Found Objects: February 23-March 2, 2023
The Mission: Find an object that you like the shape of or find interesting. If necessary, cut the object to make a flat edge you can use like a stamp or printing block. Dip the object in ink or paint or use a stamp pad, then press it repeatedly on paper to make a pattern or other art print…
Play with Your Food: February 16-23, 2023
The Mission: Play with your food. This week, make art out of what’s on your dinner plate. One rule: you can’t plan your meal with art-making in mind; just pick a night and use whatever you’re eating then as the materials for your art…
Valentine: February 2-16, 2023
The Mission: Get out your construction paper and safety scissors and make a valentine to send to someone. Bonus points if you do more than one, and/or if you make one for an unexpected person…
Photo Caption Matchup: January 26-February 2, 2023
The Mission: Pair up with someone. Each person takes five photos. Each person also writes five random photo captions (unrelated to the photos they took, and without seeing the photos the other person took). Give the other person your captions. Each person then matches the captions they received to their own photos as best they can, where they seem to fit best or more humorously. Submit your photos matched with the other person’s captions…
Shakespearean Spotify: January 19-26, 2023
The Mission: Take a modern-day song, and re-write it as a sonnet. The song can be any genre you like - pop, country, rap, commercial jingle, whatever - but this will work best if it’s a song that’s fairly well known. For bonus points, reverse the assignment and turn a Shakespeare sonnet into a modern-day song…
Custom Pantones: January 12-19, 2023
The Mission: Create your own set of Pantone-style color chips, with each color representing something iconic about your city, another city you love, or your home or life in general. Name each color based on what it represents. Submit at least four of these, along with the name of the city or situation you’re representing…