Embracing Creative Alchemy
How Witchtober & Eraser Stamps Helped Me Break Unhealthy Patterns
October has always felt like a month of transformation—a time when the air crackles with creative energy. For years, I’d watch artists dive into Inktober, the global challenge to create 30 ink drawings in 30 days, and think, This could be my year. But every time, the pressure to perform paralyzed me. Thirty pieces? Perfectionism would slither in, whispering, You’ll burn out by day five. And it was right. By 2024, I’d accepted that traditional Inktober wasn’t for me. But instead of abandoning the challenge entirely, I asked myself: What if I rewrote the rules?
When Stuck Meets Strategy
Let’s be real—stagnation is a creativity killer and also it’s driving force. Last year, I found myself trapped in a loop of overthinking and underdoing. Scrolling through endless #Inktober posts, I felt both inspired and defeated. That’s when I realized: maybe the problem wasn’t the challenge itself, but how I was approaching it. What if I swapped ink for a medium that felt playful instead of punishing? Enter eraser stamps.
Eraser stamp carving had always been my “happy place”—a tactile, low-stakes craft where mistakes could be carved away (literally). So I ditched the Inktober prompts for Witchtober’s whimsical themes (“Potion,” “Spellbook,” “Broomstick”) and committed to carving one tiny stamp daily. No elaborate illustrations. No pressure to post polished work. Just me, a linoleum cutter, and the joy of turning rubber into magic.
The Alchemy of Small Wins
Here’s the thing about counterproductive habits: they thrive on all-or-nothing thinking. If I can’t finish 30 masterpieces, why bother? But creativity isn’t a binary. This time, I focused on micro-creations. A potion bottle carved into an eraser took 20 minutes. A spellbook stamp? Even less. Each day, I’d share my tiny triumphs on social media, not for validation, but to prove to myself that showing up—even imperfectly—was the victory.
The process became a meditation. Sketching designs directly onto erasers forced me to simplify ideas. Carving taught me to trust my hands more than my inner critic. And stamping those designs onto paper felt like casting little spells—proof that momentum builds not from grand gestures, but consistent, tiny acts of courage.
Why It Worked (And What I Learned)
Define “Done” On Your Terms
Success wasn’t a gallery-worthy piece. It was a stamped image that made me smile. By shrinking the scope, I reclaimed the challenge as a playground, not a proving ground.Progress > Perfection
Some stamps were 粗糙 (looking at you, wobbly “Broomstick”). But finishing mattered more than finesse. Each stamp became a brick in a bridge away from procrastination.Community Without Comparison
Using #Witchtober2024, I connected with others reimagining the challenge—watercolor witches, collage artists, fellow carvers. Their journeys reminded me: creativity thrives when we focus on our lane.
Tools for Your Own Reinvention
If you’re eyeing a challenge but feel that familiar dread creeping in, try this:
Swap the Medium: Stamps, collages, or even 5-minute sketches count. Choose what feels like play, not work.
Steal the Spirit, Skip the Rules: Hate the prompts? Make your own. Prefer November? Do “Witchvember.” Your challenge, your terms.
Celebrate the 1%: A stamp, a scribble, a saved Pinterest mood board—it all adds up.
The Takeaway: Creativity as a Compass
Witchtober didn’t just give me 31 stamps. It taught me that creativity is a tool for reinvention—both on and off the page. When we tweak challenges to fit our needs, we’re not “cheating.” We’re honoring our bandwidth and nurturing curiosity over comparison.
So if you’re feeling stuck, ask yourself: What’s my version of an eraser stamp? Maybe it’s a 5-minute daily sketch. A voice memo of story ideas. A photo series of morning coffee cups. Whatever it is, let it be messy, small, and yours. Because the goal isn’t to conquer the challenge—it’s to remind yourself that you’re still capable of beginning.
And sometimes, beginning is the most powerful spell of all.
P.S. Curious about eraser stamps? Grab a $2 eraser, an X-Acto knife, and dive into this tutorial. No fancy tools required—just a willingness to play.
