darren r hill

the creative minimalist

The site needs a bit of a refresh, so as they used to say it is under construction. As such things might not look right, work right, or even feel right. But only until everything is new and shiny. After that… who knows.
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This month has been productive despite global chaos, and I have noticed the importance of maintaining a positive and intentional creative practice.
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This week’s creative field notes include how I am keeping up with February Album Writing Month and coming up with a few other creative ideas.
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January has been a difficult month for this creative minimalist. However, the festival of Imbolc is as good a time as any to make a creative new start. This week’s vlog explores recent creative highs and lows.
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As we begin the new year of 2025, I’m excited to share my collection of journals with you in this week’s vlog. I have a new daily planner, as well as music and fiction journals, and various vocabulary notebooks.
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My word of the year for 2025 is odyssey. It both a journey with a destination in mind and plenty of wiggle room for distractions.
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Time for a Fresh Look! 🚀

Hello worlds 👋

So, here’s the deal. I’ve been looking at the current layout and, it’s starting to feel a bit like that comfy but worn-out jumper you just can’t part with. It’s familiar, sure, but let’s be honest, it needs a little TLC.

That’s why I’m diving head-first into a redesign! 🎨✨ Expect things to get cleaner, fresher, and hopefully more exciting. But here’s the catch: as I’m sprucing things up, you might notice a few wayward bits here and there. Buttons may not work as expected, or some text will be out of place – although nothing new there. However, these hiccups are all part of the journey to a shiny new space.

I’m hoping this redesign won’t take too long. I’m working hard behind the scenes to make sure everything runs smoothly and gets back to ~~the normal vague state~~ complete awesomeness in no time.

So, bear with me as I embark on this makeover adventure. I think it’ll be worth it. The plan is to make this site more of a hub for all things the creative minimalist.

Thanks for your patience and support. May your creativity shine forth.

Thank you for reading this post. Please share your thoughts in the comment section below.
namaste
d
xox

If you enjoyed this post please support my writing by making a donation of any amount.

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23 March 2025
Creating amongst the Chaos – Creative Field Notes

How have I felt this month?

This month has been good. I have been creative, and I have been getting quite a few things done and moved forward. This month has also been another month of unbelievable events in the wider world. I want to think there is some plan behind it all, but I can only see chaos. This has affected my creativity, although it hasn’t deterred it. I have channelled the “energy” into my creative practice. My work hasn’t become all political, but I have managed to use the energy positively instead of letting it numb me into inactivity.

What have I created this week?

Sculpting Sound

I finished FAWM. I wrote 14 songs in 28 days to complete February Album Writing Month. These songs aren’t going to win me any Brit awards or Ivor Novello trophies, but they did enable me to have a pretty much daily music creative practice through the month. This will continue and also expand.

I will be focusing on my Wheel of the Year project.

Weaving words

I am opening DayOne, Ulysses, and Scrivener more regularly. I am also reviewing my creative writing practice and getting out and about to write more in my Moleskine.

Multimedia

Getting distracted and falling down digital rabbit holes is an issue I face when creating multimedia. There are so many excellent tutorials that I can spend all my time watching them and taking notes. However, we all know that if you want to learn, you need to do. We only learn by doing. So, I will be curtailing my time watching and spending time doing.

I am exploring how I can use focus modes more during my day. However, the biggest distraction is from my own brain box. Picking up the phone or opening a browser to do something legitimate for my next action can all too easily become a wander down

25 in 25 highlights and lowlights

I have noticed that I am not getting out enough. As spring has officially sprung and with the time zone changing at the end of March, I want to make sure I get out more. Part of the reason for this is to help with the distractions mentioned above. I want to spend more time doing creative prep work outside. The more I can prepare in a journal or notebook, the less I will be distracted or in that “what’s next” phase when I sit with the app open.

In conclusion

Regular habits and creative practices help me in achieving goals and completing projects. My challenge is to keep this up but not let these rituals and habits become negative must dos. I never want them to become, oh no, not that again. In the past, this has happened, and my plans have cascaded like a house of cards.

It is time for my Odyssey to become more intentional as I step into March.

Thank you for reading this post. Please share your thoughts in the comment section below.
namaste
d
xox

If you enjoyed this post please support my writing by making a donation of any amount.

Sign up for my (ir)regular newsletter to keep up to date with my creative adventures, including special offers, and join me on Instagram | YouTube | Twitter | Pinterest

2 March 2025
Mid to End Feb Creative Field Notes

How have I felt this week?

I have often felt that creative people absorb the news and current events surrounding them. Like many, I have been watching partly in horror and partly in sadness at the way the world is polarising and pulling apart instead of pulling, or at least, working together. I am not suggesting that my “brand” of politics is best, I don’t, but there must be a better way of sorting the current crises that are afflicting the humanity of this planet.

Anyway, these events are affecting my creativity. I am working on FAWM and I have noticed that I am writing lyrics reflecting underlying fears. These fears are both of a personal and worldview nature. It is interesting how one can influence the other.

I have also been knee or neck-deep in WordPress. It has been a while since I got down and dirty with this wonderful and amazing piece of software. The main issue with this is that it has changed so much that I am uncovering new features as well as reminding myself of old ones.

What have I created this past fortnight?

Sculpting Sound

I am pretty much on track with FAWM. I have finally got around to sharing some rough mixes on the site. I’m not overjoyed at the songs so far but it is good to have a daily challenge of getting the song journal out and seeing where I end up. A major theme running through things is change, both in the world and in my life. I think this may be a major step in my Odyssey this year.

While FAWM has been going well, I haven’t managed to spend much time on the Wheel of the Year collection. This isn’t due to losing interest but because I was playing catch up on FAWM for a while… my fault.

Weaving words

I have an idea for a work of fiction. I have begun writing bits and pieces for it using Scrivener. I don’t know how far it will go or even if it will be a thing. It currently has my interest though. The concept, without giving too much away, is a narrative working on two levels around a diary or journal. It is dark but I’m not sure if it will fall into a specific genre as yet. It is very much in the early stages.

Multimedia/Mixed media

I haven’t got into any visual work beyond a couple of simple social media posts. I felt a little overwhelmed with all the options I had here. Streamlining my process has become important to get anywhere with the ideas I have.

25 in 25 highlights and lowlights

I have about half of the habits needed for my 25 things in 2025 in place. I am going to add more as I move forward and make sure that I don’t slip up on any of the ones I am keeping.

In conclusion

This past fortnight has been a struggle, but I am feeling positive about where I am and where I am heading. I am sure that this year of Odyssey will throw up more than a few obstacles but I am building some foundations that will benefit me.

Thank you for reading this post. Please share your thoughts in the comment section below.
namaste
d
xox

If you enjoyed this post please support my writing by making a donation of any amount.

Sign up for my (ir)regular newsletter to keep up to date with my creative adventures, including special offers, and join me on Instagram | YouTube | Twitter | Pinterest

23 February 2025
Imbolc: Creative New Starts

January has been a difficult month for this creative minimalist. However, the festival of Imbolc is as good a time as any to make a creative new start. This week’s vlog explores recent creative highs and lows.

Thank you for reading this post. Please share your thoughts in the comment section below.
namaste
d
xox

If you enjoyed this post please support my writing by making a donation of any amount.

Sign up for my (ir)regular newsletter to keep up to date with my creative adventures, including special offers, and join me on Instagram | YouTube | Twitter | Pinterest

2 February 2025
My current journal set-up

Hello worlds! As we kick off the New Year of 2025, I thought it would be fun to share my journal collection with you all. I’ve got my brand-new daily planner, music and fiction journals, and a bunch of vocab books. This week’s vlog shares my current journal set-up. What are your favourite journals?

Thank you for reading this post. Please share your thoughts in the comment section below.
namaste
d
xox

If you enjoyed this post please support my writing by making a donation of any amount.

Sign up for my (ir)regular newsletter to keep up to date with my creative adventures, including special offers, and join me on Instagram | YouTube | Twitter | Pinterest

5 January 2025
Odyssey my word of the year 2025

My word for 2025 is Odyssey. It is a guiding word, something to meditate on during the dismal grey days of February, or the oppressive heat of June. I believe this provides the perfect balance between a dedicated journey with purpose alongside the very real distractions of living and being.

Odyssey
noun
a long and eventful or adventurous journey or experience:
journey, voyage, trek, travels, quest, crusade, pilgrimage, wandering, journeying;

It doesn’t limit itself to the self-development or spiritual growth of a pilgrimage but can encompass it. It is a me sort of word, with multiple meanings and aspects around a theme.

Of course, one can’t truly think of the word “odyssey” without a brief mention of Homer’s renowned classic. I find the Wikipedia entry on the poem’s themes particularly insightful.

> Crucial themes in the poem include the ideas of nostos (νόστος; ‘return’), wandering, xenia (ξενία; ‘guest-friendship’), testing, and omen

Or, a journey to a place, without a set course, with friends, family and others, a journey that will test my skills and abilities, and provide moments of spiritual contemplation and revelation.

On a more practical note, this odyssey will involve music making, digital and traditional art, multimedia, lots of learning and looking after my physical health.

I’ll share more as the year passes. I have been working on 25 goals/habits for 2025. The first and primary one is to vlog/blog each week, so I’ll have plenty of opportunities to let you know how things are going.

In the meantime, I have to do some preparation work for January. I still can’t believe we’ve spent another year in orbit around our star. I hope and pray that it was a good one for you, and may 2025 bring blessings to you all.

Thank you for reading this post. Please share your thoughts in the comment section below.
namaste
d
xox

If you enjoyed this post please support my writing by making a donation of any amount.

Sign up for my (ir)regular newsletter to keep up to date with my creative adventures, including special offers, and join me on Instagram | YouTube | Twitter | Pinterest

29 December 2024