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:
Abstract from Ordinary: November 23-30, 2023
The Mission: Take a photo of something ordinary, but take it from a unique angle or perspective that makes it seem abstract…
Macy’s Parade: November 16-23, 2023
The Mission: Design a new balloon or float that you think should be added to the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade…
World within a Song: November 9-16, 2023
The Mission: Tell us about a song (or more than one if you want) that changed your life. What is the song? Why and how did it resonate? What was going on with you at the time, and what impact did the song have on you then? How does the song affect you now? Etc. Write about it in any format you wish. Create artwork to go along with your writing, or let the writing be the art. Share a link where we can listen to the song, if possible…
Election: November 2-9, 2023
The Mission: Election Day falls this week. Pick an issue or candidate, real or fake, serious or funny, and create a yard sign, door knocker, flyer, postcard, campaign sign or other political collateral to get out the vote…
Dia de los Muertos: October 26-November 2, 2023
The Mission: Celebrate Dia de los Muertos by crafting either a nicho, a calavera, an ofrenda, or all three, using whatever materials you like…
Decorative Gourd Season, Part Deux: October 12-26, 2023
The Mission: Decorative Gourd Season, Part Deux. Paint or otherwise embellish a pumpkin or gourd (or several) to decorate for the season…
Limericks: October 5-12, 2023
The Mission: Write one to five limericks, using current events as the subject for each…
Video/Photo Collage: September 28-October 5, 2023
The Mission: Take short video clips (one to ten seconds each) or photos as you go about your week (or just one day of your week), and create a video or photo collage of the “art” you experienced in your week/day…
Decorative Gourd Season: September 21-28, 2023
The Mission: Write a piece about autumn, using a style similar to or inspired by the classic McSweeney’s submission, “It’s Decorative Gourd Season, Motherfuckers.” (Cursing not required, but strongly encouraged.)…
Tattoo: September 14-21, 2023
The Mission: Design a tattoo - for you, for someone else, for no one at all - using whatever art medium you like. Bonus points if you actually get it tattooed permanently on your body…
Mix Tape: September 7-14, 2023
The Mission: Create a “mix tape” (playlist) using Spotify or some other service that allows you to share music. Give us a link to the playlist where we can listen to it (if you can), and a list of the tracks and artists. Bonus points if you feel inspired to create an image or artwork to go with it.…
Surrealism: August 31-September 7, 2023
The Mission: Let’s get weird. Find your inner Dali and create Surrealist art of some kind. You can paint, draw, write, manipulate photos, even create surreal music - whatever medium helps you tap into your strange little subconscious mind and express your own super-reality…
End of Summer: August 24-31, 2023
The Mission: Write a poem, song, or song parody about the end of summer. (Expecting some extra saltiness from those of you who are teachers.)…
Intentional Misinterpretation: August 17-24, 2023
The Mission: As you move through the world this week, pay attention to signs, billboards, posters, etc. Try to find some that strike you as funny because their messages can be interpreted in a different way than they intended - either because they use words and phrases that have multiple meanings, or simply because whoever wrote them didn’t have a great grasp on spelling or grammar…
Huichol Yarn Painting: August 10-17, 2023
The Mission: Create your own Huichol yarn painting of the subject or design of your choice. What is yarn painting? This website gives a pretty concise description with photos and videos showing how to do it https://lammuseum.wfu.edu/2020/05/mexico-create-a-huichol-yarn-painting/…
Infographics: August 3-10, 2023
The Mission: Take something from your life that you can pull data or statistics from - a year, the last week, an event that happened to you, an assessment of your finances, whatever - and create infographics to represent it…
Next-level Art: July 20-August 3, 2023
The Mission: Next-level Art – find artwork at a thrift store, yard sale, in a magazine or your basement - wherever - and “improve” upon it in some way. Don’t forget to include both the “before” and the “after” images…
Rearranged Photo: July 13-20, 2023
The Mission: Using one and only one photo, image, page from a magazine, whatever, create new art by cutting up that photo and rearranging it into something else…
You’re a Grand Old Flag: June 29-July 6, 2023
The Mission: Design your own flag or crest. Bonus points if you include some kind of motto in Latin or an explanation of the symbolism behind your design…