CrapArt

CrapArt is an artistic movement that helps encourage joyful and frequent creation of art.

What is involved?

To participate all you need to do is create art for 15 minutes each day*. Then post your creations for others to enjoy.

CrapArt communities

Communities are a way to support and encourage each other to create art and to have fun. Here's how they work:

1. Gather a group of open minded individuals of any level of artistic ability. Explain the movement and ask them to participate.
2. Setup a shared but fairly private place to share art. It could be anywhere (Facebook, Slack, or even a Google Doc). The only requirements are a place to post art and way to have a discussion. I use iMessage for the primary group (around 10 people) that I am in.
3. You are the first moderator. This means you start a session by deciding a theme for the first week**. Themes can be simple (purple) or more descriptive (what tattoo would you get if you had to get one?).
4. Throughout the week everyone in the community submits artwork that aligns to their interpretation of the theme. Keep in mind that there is no need to make excuses or apologies when submitting artwork. 😀
5. At the end of the week the moderator selects the next person to moderate. The new moderator picks a theme for the upcoming week and notifies the group. Each week the cycle repeats.

* Daily is best, weekly is great, monthly is better than never
** Or whatever duration is desired by the group. Enthusiasm can ebb and flow so monthly is a fine and dandy.

FAQs

What if…

• If it's ugly, who cares! It's better than a blank page.
• If it's unfinished, who cares! You can add more tomorrow or start something new.
• If it's created with ketchup on the back of a napkin, cool!

Why 15 minutes?

It relieves some of the pressure (I only took 15 minutes). It also makes you more likely to continue since the ask is reasonable. After all, who doesn't have 15 minutes to spare?

What type of art qualifies?

Anything.

Why should I post my artwork online or to a community?

This step adds a degree of accountability. Also I believe that art doesn't really exist until it's shared.

Is CrapArt intentionally bad or crappy?

No. CrapArt should be fun. Most members naturally give a honest effort.

What about critiques, how do we get better?

Don't worry. A side effect of all this practice is you will likely get better even accidentally. If you are trying to improve something specific, feel free to ask for feedback in your personal CrapArt community.

Where did the idea come from?

It was created by Tom7 and embraced by MoMo (NSFW).

Thanks for reading,
🤗 MoMo

August 10, 2022