Craftober 2026!

I never look forward to October’s final bow, especially when it has been so good to me. While autumn has been slow to unfurl, it feels like time in my corner of the world is in turbo-drive. 

I went HAM with all of the autumnal activities because this time last year I was traveling all over the place for high school visits and college fairs. I tried to make the most of it because my territory was basically in the middle of farm country. While my drives were idyllic, I was so drained by the end of each day that I hardly felt like partying in my usual style. Not to mention I had to dress a lot more professionally than previous jobs. Sure, I’d sneak a bat skirt in here or there, but I could tell that was…frowned upon.

Being back at the library has given me so much zest again. I get to wear all of my weird, creepy little outfits and instead of HR raining on my parade, I’m complimented for being so spirited at work. I am 100% ME all day, everyday. I didn’t realize having to compartmentalize meant giving up little pieces of myself and letting them scatter until I felt lost.

It has taken many months to find language to describe how I felt last year versus this year. It took even longer to dig myself out of a canyon of burnout and find the motivation to make something again. And while I still don’t always feel like I’m absolutely back to normal, I am getting into a groove lately. 

I think a lot of that has to do with the monthly challenges I have been setting up for myself. At first it was a way to be more consistent and, if I’m being honest, try to boost views a little bit. The structure of an “assignment” and a schedule has been unbelievably important for me. Since my motivation hasn’t been able to stretch its muscle in a few years, having these systems in place has taken the pressure off. 

I knew I wanted to do another challenge in October but what would it be? Since I’ve really been zoning in on ‘Humans Making Art,’ I decided to make the whole month about making stuff. Not just art, but EVERYTHING. Making new recipes, music, decorations, costumes…anything and everything as a way to celebrate autumn. 

I remember thinking about this on my way to work back in August. Once I got to the parking lot, I grabbed an old receipt and started scribbling all of my craft ideas as fast as I could. Before my shift even started, I had a plan. Though this was supposed to be a monthly challenge in October, I actually did all of the behind-the-scenes work in September. It has indeed been a challenge, but I have been having an absolute ball. I feel like I had so much to make up for since last year was such a bust. 

The official challenge was dubbed as “Craftober.” I loved finding ways to be creative each day with materials that were mostly around the house. My favorite part was HalloWEEK: an entire week of DIY costumes leading up to the big day on the 31st. While my engagement was still fairly stagnant, I did receive a lot of encouragement from my friends and family. 

I think the most difficult part of the challenge was making sure that I posted every single day at 11am, but also sharing posts, filming stories of other autumnal activities throughout the month, and just making sure I saved everything so I could look back on it later. This meant that my eyes were glued to my phone even more that usual. And that…has been a bit of a problem. 

I am so glad I’ve had three months of consistency and creativity. I’ve even created an entire year’s-worth of monthly challenges if that’s what I want to continue to do. But after October was officially done, I could feel the burn-out simmering away at my edges. This time I have decided to listen to my brain and my body. I want to shift to a different kind of consistency…without having to document every little moment. 

November will be about resetting, moving my body, and preparing for the holiday chaos. My social calendar continues to fill up, which is something I want to make time for. I’m also beginning a new role at work in two weeks, which means more hours dedicated to more traditional work instead of self-motivated projects. I’m hoping to remain inspired, excited, and balanced. But you never know! 

I am looking forward to 2027 and potentially prepare for art markets or art shows again. 

Thank you for sticking with me while I figure out my art practice and recover from burn-out. If you’re interested to see all of the projects I worked on during October, please feel free to visit me on Instagram @katelentzart