These Are the Days to Remember

Welcome to my 2020 Inktober submissions. For the next thirty-one days I will be a featuring the lyrics written and performed by Billy Joel. I grew up listening to his work and many iconic moments in my life have had these words as the background. In each piece I will note the song title and the year it was published. What am I doing this you might ask? Read on…

Each year artists from all over the globe participate in Inktober. It is a creative commitment during the month of October to create something with ink each day. It was started by a gentleman more than a decade ago, who was learning pen and ink techniques. He wanted to develop a habit of creating something everyday, so he chose October. Before he knew it, it had become a global challenge. There are only three rules. 1 – create something with ink. 2 – post it. 3 – repeat.

2019 was my first year ‘doing’ Inktober and it showed me that I could create a new piece each day. It was the catalyst for my challenge to develop the artwork for this blog for one year. These are the times in our lives that change who we are and what we believe about ourselves, so Inktober it is!

These are strange days. COVID-19 has changed our world, our lives, and our perspective on how things will be moving forward. Generations from now will talk about these many months, about how 2020 was the year that was but wasn’t. And to quote Billy Joel, “these are the days to hold on to cause we won’t although we’ll want to”. Social distancing has revealed to us so much about ourselves, what we value and what we are willing to do to get our lives in order. What we thought was important has changed and what we value no longer has the same ingredients. What we know about ourselves and what we can endure has grown exponentially! It is important to remember to hold on to time…it slips away before we know it, then all we can do is look back with fondness.

So here’s to one man who wanted to improve his skills, who ended up challenging the world. Stay tuned for my Inktober versions of Billy Joel’s lyrics, and no matter what remember the things you have learned these past few months and value the time you have been given.