3-Year Artistic Collaboration Set For Final Celebration

Mila Lynn & Torrey Gray will celebrate the final year of their 'Inktober' Collab on Nov. 11th

LANSING - After 3 years of taking on the popular 'Inktober' challenge as a dynamic duo, Mila Lynn and Torrey Gray, of Lansing and Detroit respectively, are capping the run with one more final showing of their works.

Every October since 2020, Mila, a heralded painter and artist, and Torrey Gray, a smooth-vibing music artist, have come together to put a creative spin on a popular challenge. The challenge, called 'Inktober', is a month-long creative whirlwind where a single word is given and an artist is supposed to make an ink drawing based on their inspiration from the word. There is an "Official Prompt List" for the words given on inktober.com each year, and a set of rules:

1) Make a drawing in ink (you can do a pencil under-drawing if you want). 2) Post it* 3) Hashtag it with #inktober and #inktober2022 4) Repeat

Well, Mila and Torrey do things slightly different. They take the word, and Mila does her thing with the pen. Torrey takes the word, and does his thing with the mic. He puts together a track, an entire track(!), for the word. Torrey even collaborated with artist from around the world for some tracks this year. Then they take the song, and layer it over a time-lapse of Mila creating the picture, creating this visual vibe that is unlike anything you've seen. The picture is then sold via Mila's social media pages to the first person who claims it.

This year they put a spin on it. Instead of paper, Mila's canvas was a vinyl record for each day's work. She used a white utensil to draw on the record, creating a truly dope project that played into her partners musical dynamic in their collab.

At the end of October, or 'Inktober' as it is known for them, after creating 31 songs and artworks, the party takes place. The 'Inktober Closeout Show' is a culmination of hard work and dope results. A month of daily creative expression is fun but also takes energy. And it is for the people as much as it is for the art and artist. The party is a big thank you to the artist and the public all in one. And trust me, Mila and Torrey know how to party.

On November 11th, 2022, you can join Mila and Torrey at the Inktober Closeout Show, where all 31 pieces created will be available to view. There will be music, drinks, and lots of vibes, right on the Washington Square in downtown Lansing. Next Up Michigan was present last year, and I'll tell you firsthand you don't want to miss this celebration of art and creativity!

Tickets can be purchased here:

www.eventbrite.com/e/the-inktober-finale-tickets-457442973247

***Next Up Michigan thanks Mike Marriott "The Arts Promoter" for contributing to this piece.