Artpocalypse Pledge: March 5-12, 2026
Using any artistic medium you like, make a pledge to yourself that you will continue to find ways to be creative. Show and/or tell us how you will make your own Artpocalypse part of your life going forward.
Due March 12 by 7:00 p.m.
March 5, 2026
Good morning!
A couple things of note in today's email:
First, it's submission day. Hopefully you've had a chance to create a drawing or painting that depicts a mundane scene in the style of a famous art masterpiece. Send those my way!
Secondly, I have a somewhat bittersweet announcement to make.
This week marks four years since our very first Artpocalypse mission. I'm amazed when I think of the fact that nearly every week since then, some subset of this group have taken the time to create and submit artwork to this silly little project. Without getting into specific math to factor in an occasional skipped week, etc., this equates to roughly 200 weekly art projects that one or more of us participated in.
I started this little adventure at a time when it felt like the world was falling apart and one of the only things I was finding joy and peace and calm and grounding in was art and creativity - seeing art, making art, being creative, getting lost in the process, etc. I have never considered myself an artist, but that didn't matter - I just wanted to provide a space to create, and a vehicle that would force me to take time to do so, and you all were kind enough to come along for the ride.
Four years later, the good news is... [looks around at the world]... we fixed everything! No more problems and the world has been restored to normalcy!
Alright, well, maybe not. It may actually be a whole lot worse, but I'm at least 80% sure none of that is our fault.
The bittersweet news is that I'm bringing this project to a close. We'll do one more assignment that starts today and goes through March 12, and then I'll stop bugging you with weekly art missions. Probably forever, but at least for a while - never say never, I guess.
I still absolutely love getting your submissions and seeing what you create each week. That part has remained fun and wonderful and something I look forward to all the time. However, after four years of attempting to come up with a new assignment each week, and feeling compelled as the one who runs this thing to actually DO the assignment every (or nearly every) week, it has started to feel more like an obligation and less like an escape from the world. That's normal, I think, and it's not a reflection on the project itself or (of course) any of you. Things run their course, and I think it just may be time to find other outlets for creativity. To everything there is a season, and all that.
Keeping anything going for four years is an accomplishment, and especially something that requires a weekly commitment. You all have made that happen, and I'm incredibly grateful. Thank you to all of you - whether you did one project and stopped, or whether you submitted something nearly all of the 200+ weeks this went on (looking at you, Anonymous Frau!).
As is my way, I'm rambling at this point, so I'll just say thank you for being part of something that I never could've guessed would still be going on after four years. There will be room for more thank-yous in next week's final submission day email, so for now, send me your art! I'll post this week's creations and next week's assignment soon.
With gratitude,
Captain Quillard.
The Submissions:
by Captain Quillard
by Anonymous Frau Redux
Capt-
Artpocalypse Thursdays offered an opportunity for me to learn, appreciate art in various forms and enjoy the handiwork of others.
I pledge to be “knotty” in my fiber work as long as my bank account and health will allow.
When someone quotes the Beastie Boys in regard to something I’ve made, I’m just so tickled. “She’s crafty.”
Thank you for the years of encouragement to explore, create and share.
-Anonymous Frau Redux
(About my pen name… Had not watched Apocalypse Now in ages when the project started. One of the streaming services had Apocalypse Now Redux from 2001 with additional scenes not in the original release. Can you see the rhyme now?)
Photo of artsy supplies
IPhone 13 Pro, color edit NOIR at 75, VIGNETTE at 100
by North of Canada
As retirement comes, one of the things I’m looking most forward to is art—painting, drawing, playing the piano, and finally getting back to writing. So here I am keeping some coals red in the firebox until then.
March 12, 2026
Good morning!
It's [sniff] the final submission day for this four-year-old, goofy little project we've called Artpocalypse Thursdays.
First, the business:
Send me your artwork from this week's final mission: to make a pledge to yourself that you will continue to find ways to be creative and make your own Artpocalypse part of your life going forward. Today, March 12, is the due date by 7:00 p.m., but in full transparency I'm happy to take anything you send beyond the deadline if you want more time to think about this one and create something. Send it whenever you can and I'll post it when I receive it.
Along those lines, my current plan is to leave the website up for as long as I can so we can all go back and look through previous projects when we choose, and to preserve all the wonderful work you've all done over the past four years. Assuming web hosting costs don't get much higher than they already are, I'll keep the site in place. I've already spent a little time going back through the assignments recently myself, smiling and laughing and feeling awestruck and maybe tearing up a little. If you'd like to do the same, it'll all be there, at least for a while.
Now, the mushy part:
Thank you all once again for being part of this thing. Seriously. I remember asking a couple of friends if they'd join me in trying this out four years ago when the world felt unbearably heavy, and am so thankful they said yes. I remember saying that this was not for professional artists and not about being good at art, and then laughing when the next few people to join in were a published poet, a professional graphic designer, and a talented art teacher. Ha! So much for MY very amateur "art!" But it turned out it didn't matter - we did a wide variety of assignments, and found that all of us who didn't think we were artists were actually quite good at some things, and that even the professional artists had some assignments that made them say "Ooh - I have no idea how to do that." :) All of us tried, all of us created, all of us got out of the doom scrolling headspace for a while and immersed ourselves in something positive, and that was what was important. It's only a side benefit that we discovered we all were occasionally able to create some really amazing art along the way.
Between last week's email and this one, I feel like I'm getting trapped in a repetitive "thank you so much" loop. I really don't have the words for how much this has meant. Even in the later years when it was feeling more like an obligation I had to do each week, I still looked forward to seeing everyone's art and still marveled at the fact that anyone was willing to join me on this ride. I don't have any delusions of grandeur here - I know this was nothing extra special or miraculous or important. I know it didn't change the world or make anything better in the long run and that the concept itself was nothing original or earth shattering. But, if it did anything for me, it's that it reminded me that very few changes for the better in this world are huge, world-altering things. Most of the really important stuff is small. Small like recognizing what's still good in the world. Small like taking a break from the chaos to focus on something calming or interesting or creative. Small like being intentional about making time to have fun or be creative or feel adventurous or do something you enjoy. Small like knowing your project is no less important if only one person does it than it would be if hundreds got involved.
I have never really thought of myself as an artist (only partially because that would require a certain level of talent I'm not sure I have). But the older I get the more I realize that I feel most myself, and therefore happiest, most content, most excited and energized, etc., when I am creating. I hope that some of you feel that way, too. Maybe you already did and that's why you joined this project, or maybe this project helped you feel that way. It's a good way to feel, despite it being hard to describe. That's why this last project is a pledge to continue in some way. I sincerely hope that if you take anything away from this experience, it's the recognition of your own creativity and the desire to make time to express it. If that resonates with you in any way, this project has been a success.
So, one last time, thank you. I'm incredibly humbled that any of you wanted to do this even once, let alone weekly for four years. Thank you for joining me, thank you for giving of yourself, thank you for filling our worlds with art, thank you for introducing new perspectives to us, thank you for being positive and supportive, thank you for making the world a bit more bearable, and thank you for every mission you completed or even attempted. It has been a sincere pleasure to be your Captain.
Dismissed.