Recently, Struthless (real name Campbell Walker), famous for his self-help YouTube channel and art documentaries - released a new art challenge called Alphabet Superset.
The challenge is deceptively simple. According to the official website, it states:
Make something every week for 26 weeks, around 26 topics of your choice, each starting with a different letter of the alphabet.
However, while the topic changes weekly, everything else should still stay the same. This includes your medium, style, output size, and theme.
The aim of the challenge is to create a cohesive body of creative work while pushing past mental limits.
As Igor Stravinsky once said:
“The more constraints one imposes, the more one frees one’s self.”
The constraints are thus:
Medium
This refers to the core medium that one will create. For instance, claymation, video, digital art, etc., in addition to the communication medium that best serves the work. Some core mediums are the same as the communication medium, while others may be different (for the above claymation, the communication medium could be short videos).
In my case, I will be creating digital art, with the communication medium being online images.
Aesthetics/style
These are the stylistic guidelines, both broad and specific. The challenge requires you to put down five aesthetics that will influence your art.
In my case, here are the five style guidelines that I have to follow
Have to include at least one person/human in the image
Everything drawn must be in greyscale/monochrome
Include at least 1 collage element (can be greyscale or in colour)
Made in Krita
Insert quote/tagline/phrases in the art piece
Output
Creators must define a unit of artwork that can be made from start to finish in one week. This includes both the artwork and whatever additional work it needs to be best shared.
In my case, I plan to create 1 digital art piece a week, in A4.
Theme
This is the overarching topic that will influence the art being made and the word prompts that are chosen. Examples include music made without instruments, weird history, obsolete technology, unlikely life advice, and more.
In my case, I have chosen the topic of death/memento mori. I’ve always had a morbid interest in death, and recent personal events have prompted me to explore this topic in more detail, especially in my artwork.
Why did I choose this challenge?
I’ve always had a problem with consistency, especially when it comes to creating art. I either can get stuck with art block, or I’m burnt out from a busy week of work that I simply have no energy to draw and post my art online.
I once tried to finish an art challenge, but I could not finish, since I did not give myself enough time and breaks in between my output.
Recently, as a result of some health issues, I have also been taking a long break when it comes to art. As such, I hope that undertaking this challenge will not only inspire me creatively but also help me overcome any of my mental blocks.
This challenge officially starts on the week of Sep 4, and I’ll aim to post my art on the weekends (either Sat/Sun) weekly. My art can be found on my Instagram and Twitter, and I’ll also try to post on Substack as well!
I can’t wait to see what people come up with next!