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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The Moon — Weekly Creative Prompt
Welcome to the new complete weekly creative prompt. We begin with a single creative prompt word and expand it to inspire fiction writing, journaling and a host of other creative activities. These creative prompts, are to give me, and anyone else who wants to join in, some focus to our creative work.

Last week’s prompt revolved around the solstice, and our word was the sun. It would be unfair not to follow on with a prompt regarding the lesser light. As I write these words, there is a full moon outside. A full moon also means that there are spring tides. These tides are the highest because the moon joins the sun in exerting a gravitational pull on the earth’s oceans – it is a time of extremes. May there be an extremely creative tide near you this week. Therefore, this week’s creative prompt is:

Moon — the natural satellite of the earth, visible (chiefly at night) by reflected light from the sun

this is a practical definition, yet I like the way it hints at the moon still being visible during the day

Let the prompt ‘the moon’ inspire you in any area of creativity that you are interested:
- writing fiction
- journaling
- art journaling
- songwriting
- photography
- painting
- composing
- blog posts
- art therapy
- anything that could use a little nudge to begin
Let’s expand the word a little further…

Fiction Writing Prompt

The Fiction Writing Prompt aims to stretch the literary muscles. No rules. No word counts. Simply write and explore.

As the moon appeared from behind the clouds, everything changed

Writing Prompt Expanded

Being able to describe how something changes is a key writing skill. There are three elements, the initial state, the change, and the result. The skill is to avoid simply saying A through B to C. And the more elements in our writing that change, the more skill and the bigger the challenge.

This prompt is all about using the moon’s appearance as the trigger for our prose.
- Why is the moon so important?
- Is the change for one person or more?
- How do the characters feel?
Do we have a couple having a romantic walk under the moonlight? Has a crime been revealed by the light of the moon? Does the moon trigger the change from a human to a werewolf? The choice is yours. Let the moon illuminate your writing and may you have fun.

Journal prompt

Journaling allows us to hold conversations on paper. From private diaries to creative art journals, we pour out our deepest thoughts. The moon provides plenty of things to write about in our journals. It conjures up connotations of madness, lunacy, and even werewolves. The new and full moon can be used in planners for setting goals and realising dreams. And the idea of light in the dark can inspire infinite art journal pages.

Questions to answer, thoughts to explore or images to create in your journal:
- A white page with darker colours added, or a black page with light applied?
- Beneath the light of a full moon, are there hidden aspects of yourself you’d like to address?
- Have you thought about using the lunar cycle for setting monthly goals?
Theory of General Creativity

I now have ‘the moon’ written on the board above my computer. I am confident it will inspire me on my creative journey this week. I am hoping it will drive me to finish a track I am working on called ‘The Sun and the Moon’. Another thing I would like to do is a little more photography. I’d love to take a decent picture of the moon, perhaps this prompt will inspire me to head outside when the light fades.

Let ‘the moon’ inspire your music, photography, and painting this week.

Finally…

As always, these creative prompts are optional and entirely open to your interpretation. Use them as a starting point for a short story, something a little more grandiose.

As mentioned before, this isn’t a ‘challenge’ but the prompts can be used that way if you want. If you do create anything using them, I would love to see or hear about it. Leave a link in the comments below or tag me on any social platform.

Original moon image by Pexels from Pixabay

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
26 June 2021
Summer Solstice Blessings and some music

Blessing to you all on this Summer Solstice

Today is the Summer Solstice in the Northern Hemisphere and the Winter Solstice in the Southern Hemisphere. I wrote a piece of music inspired by the Solstice and I am sharing aversion of it with you today. You can listen (and watch) below or click through to watch on YouTube, where you could also subscribe to my channel if you would like.

21 June 2021
Sun — Weekly Creative Prompt
Welcome to the new complete weekly creative prompt. We begin with a single creative prompt word and expand it to inspire fiction writing, journaling and a host of other creative activities. These creative prompts, are to give me, and anyone else who wants to join in, some focus to our creative work.

The Northern Hemisphere is about to reach the summer solstice. The solstice marks the day of most sunlight. The Southern Hemisphere is about to mark its day of least sunlight. Last week’s prompt was all about stars, this week we will be looking at a star, your star. So, this week’s prompt is:

Sun — the star round which the earth orbits

when I think of all that the sun represents and can mean, this dictionary definition feels so dry

Let the prompt ‘sun’ inspire you in any area of creativity that you are interested:
- writing fiction
- journaling
- art journaling
- songwriting
- photography
- painting
- composing
- blog posts
- art therapy
- anything that could use a little nudge to begin
Let’s expand the word a little further…

Fiction Writing Prompt

The Fiction Writing Prompt aims to stretch the literary muscles. No rules. No word counts. Simply write and explore.

Today we celebrate. Our god is powerful. Yet we know, from this day on, the sun’s power will wane.

Writing Prompt Expanded

I normally give as much freedom as possible in these writing prompts, I think it is the punk in me that doesn’t like anything too prescriptive. However, this prompt has context. It is the summer solstice. Worshippers are celebrating. They are thankful that their god is supplying their needs. They also know that in a few months their god will weaken and be less helpful.

This prompt is all about describing the feelings and emotions of a culture long gone and distinct from our own. We may still celebrate the solstice and other celestial events, but we also know a lot about science. The characters in our writing prompt don’t.
- How do you feel at this spiritual celebration?
- Why do you think your god loses power, is it a lack of your people’s faith?
- How do the others in your ‘tribe’ act? Do younger people celebrate differently from the older members?
The writing perspective is the first person. This makes it easier to explore the feelings and possible confusion of the character. The challenge is to convey the emotions felt using language and metaphors that are specific to that ancient culture, but which will be understood by a modern reader. It is a challenge, but one I hope you’ll enjoy.

Journal prompt

Journaling allows us to hold conversations on paper. From private diaries to creative art journals we pour out our deepest thoughts. The sun gives us so much. It brings us warmth and light and pretty much sustains life. Its gravity keeps us (earth) in place and the earth’s orbit helps us mark time. All of this is before you get to the science and sheer size of the sun. Through the ages, the sun has had its fair share of worshipers; in ancient cultures, on the beaches and in the green movement. It also works very well as a metaphor in many situations.

Questions to answer, thoughts to explore or images to create in your journal:
- What emotions do you feel when the sun warms your face?
- When the sun doesn’t shine, how do you feel?
- What words come to mind when you think of the sun?
Theory of General Creativity

I now have ‘sun’ written on the board above my computer. I am confident it will inspire me on my creative journey this week. It has reminded me that I wrote a piece of music called Solstice last year. I have wanted to develop and share that again, so let the inspiration shine forth. The light from the sun is also a core aspect of outdoor photography and a common theme in painting.

Let ‘sun’ illuminate your music, photography, and painting this week.

Finally…

As always, these creative prompts are optional and entirely open to your interpretation. Use them as a starting point for a short story, something a little more grandiose.

As mentioned before, this isn’t a ‘challenge’ but the prompts can be used that way if you want. If you do create anything using them, I would love to see or hear about it. Leave a link in the comments below or tag me #thecreativeminimalist on any social platform.

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
19 June 2021
Rediscovering Reading: Salvation book review

Memory is not always reliable. Now, no comments about my age. A few years back I was reading three separate science-fiction trilogies, jumping from one series to another. I enjoyed them all, and continue to read what each author releases. However, jumping from one brilliantly conceived universe to another, back and forth, over three series was a little too much for my tiny little mind. Therefore, and that brings me to the point of this paragraph, if I know an author is writing a trilogy, I will wait until I have all three books and binge them.

My current binge is the Salvation Sequence trilogy by Peter F Hamilton. I am a big fan of his epic space opera, and this trilogy promised more of what I like. This nerd can’t resist, aliens, FTL travel and books that include a timeline for clarity. I have just finished book one; Salvation, and before I get too far into book two wanted to write a quick review.

Talking of book series, I began reading Salvation after a difficult journey through books five and six of The Expanse. I found both of those, especially book six, tough going. I hate to admit it, but by the end of that book, I had almost lost the ‘joy’ of sitting down and picking up a book. That isn’t to say I dislike The Expanse, and I will return to the series, I just struggled. However, all that was quickly forgotten as I was launched into the Salvation Sequence.

In the nearish future, the earth has been visited by what appears to be two alien species. The predominant alien race has stopped by during a religious pilgrimage to meet their god at the end of the universe. They are friendly and offer to share their medical advances with humanity in return for energy to create their antimatter fuel to continue their journey. All very friendly. Meanwhile, in the far future, another group of genetically modified humans are training. Their mission is to continue their fight for survival against an aggressive alien race who have chased humanity across the stars.

Meanwhile, back on earth, or actually on a planet that earth people hang out on, an of unknown origin alien spaceship has been found. In it are a group of humans in suspended animation, but no aliens. A group of interested parties go and check it out. We learn more about these interested parties and a lot more, through lengthy flashbacks. We also learn about the visiting aliens, the two distinct cultures that humanity has divided itself into and all the technology that is now commonplace, along with some interesting social commentary.

Salvation jumps between the far future and near future timelines until… well, no spoilers, but there was a nice twist in the final few chapters. Setting things up nicely for book two; Salvation Lost.

So, an enjoyable read and if you want to read it yourself here’s an affiliate link to Amazon UK and Amazon US. Back to book two for 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

16 June 2021
Stars — Weekly Creative Prompt
Welcome to the new complete weekly creative prompt. We begin with a single creative prompt word and expand it to inspire fiction writing, journaling, and a host of other creative activities. These creative prompts, are to give me, and anyone else who wants to join in, some focus to our creative work.

Ever since humanity first walked on the planet, we have looked up. And as the sun sets and the greater light travels over the horizon, the sky darkens, and the myriad of tiny pinpoints of light emerge. Our previous prompt was clouds, and if those clouds are missing from the night sky a remarkable light show can be seen. Therefore, this week’s creative prompt is:

Stars — fixed luminous points in the night sky which are large, remote incandescent bodies like the sun.

This is a plural definition of the singular I found in the dictionary. What I find interesting is the use of the word fixed because stars just like atoms are anything but that.

Let the prompt ‘stars’ inspire you in any area of creativity that you are interested:
- writing fiction
- journaling
- art journaling
- songwriting
- photography
- painting
- composing
- blog posts
- art therapy
- anything that could use a little nudge to begin
Let’s expand the word a little further…

Fiction Writing Prompt

The Fiction Writing Prompt aims to stretch the literary muscles. No rules. No word counts. Simply write and explore.

They say the stars can predict the future. All I want to know is where you are.

Writing Prompt Expanded

The motions of the stars fascinated us before we began to grasp the mechanics of gravity. We put meaning and prediction into their motions. They guided us and prompted us. Today, we understand that life on this planet is controlled by gravity and other natural forces just like the stars. And yet, we still look to them. And occasionally, some of us, enquire.

This prompt is very open. The sentences uttered offer little context. So, the challenge is to dig deep and use your imagination.
- Who is the narrator looking for?
- Are they out looking at the stars when they say these words?
- Are they skeptical about astrology or an ardent disciple?
The writing perspective is the first person, but beyond that, the setting and context are yours. I wondered whether the narrator is on a planet while the person they seek is traveling among the stars. Is the narrator one of many out looking for a missing person? These are just a couple of ideas that jumped into my mind. And you could always look to the stars for a little inspiration.

Journal prompt

Journaling allows us to hold conversations on paper. From private diaries to creative art journals we pour out our deepest thoughts. It only takes a layer of black paint or gesso followed by a little splattering of a lighter colour to make a simple vista of stars. White gel or paint pens can do the same. We can use them to write upon our starry background as well.

Questions to answer, thoughts to explore or images to create in your journal:
- Do you believe there is a connection between the stars and our destiny?
- What do you think about the theory that our very atoms were forged when older stars exploded eons ago in our universe; that we are stardust?
- How do you grasp the magnitude and size of the universe, that each pinpoint of light is a sun just like ours (some, if not most of the night lights are in fact galaxies and not single stars)?
Theory of General Creativity

I now have ‘stars’ written on the board above my computer. I am confident it will inspire me on my creative journey this week. Not only that, but I find stepping outside, barefoot if possible, and looking up into the night sky a truly humbling yet positive spiritual experience. To me spirituality and creativity are closely linked, they may even be different facets of the same force. The vastness of space and the beauty of the flickering lights upon the night sky are an inspiration for so much of my creative process this week. May it be for you as well.

Let ‘stars’ inspire your music, photography, and painting this week.

Finally…

As always, these creative prompts are optional and entirely open to your interpretation. Use them as a starting point for a short story, something a little more grandiose.

As mentioned before, this isn’t a ‘challenge’ but the prompts can be used that way if you want. If you do create anything using them, I would love to see or hear about it. Please leave a link in the comments below or tag me @darrenrhill or #thecreativeminimalist on any social platform.

Original Milky Way image by Free-Photos from Pixabay

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
12 June 2021
Clouds — Weekly Creative Prompt
Welcome to the new complete weekly creative prompt. We begin with a single creative prompt word and expand it to inspire fiction writing, journaling and a host of other creative activities. These creative prompts, are to give me, and anyone else who wants to join in, some focus to our creative work.

In an unscripted moment of serendipity, I opened my window and the sun wasn’t alone in a glorious blue sky. This could mean a change in plans. There are a couple of things on my to-do list that requires a clear sky, well, I require a clear sky. The serendipity is that these prompts were chosen several weeks ago. Some prompts are linked to calendar events, while the majority are random. Today’s prompt was supposed to be one of those random ones. Coincidence? Of course, or perhaps… Therefore, this week’s creative prompt is:

Clouds — a visible mass of condensed watery vapour floating in the atmosphere, typically high above the general level of the ground

clouds don’t need to be water or even literal, but for our creative process we start with this reality

Let the prompt ‘clouds’ inspire you in any area of creativity that you are interested:
- writing fiction
- journaling
- art journaling
- songwriting
- photography
- painting
- composing
- blog posts
- art therapy
- anything that could use a little nudge to begin
Let’s expand the word a little further…

Fiction Writing Prompt

The Fiction Writing Prompt aims to stretch the literary muscles as we explore the word clouds. No rules. No word counts. Simply write and explore.

I felt the gentle breeze on my face as I looked toward the horizon. In the distance, for the first time in forever, I saw clouds.

Writing Prompt Expanded

As space agencies explore our solar system and beyond, one thing they constantly look for is water. Water is essential to life as we know it and can also be used to create fuel and oxygen. Water is plentiful on our planet, even if we don’t distribute it around. The clouds in the sky are one way we know that water in the form of rain may be on its way. Rain can come at the right or wrong time. This is why clouds are used as a metaphor. The sun isn’t there, it’s cloudy, something is wrong.

This prompt is all about seeing the clouds and describing what they represent for your character.
- Are the clouds real or metaphorical? At what point in your narrative do you reveal this?
- Are the clouds welcome or feared?
- Are you on earth or a distant planet or moon?
- Being careful not to mix metaphors, describe your character’s feelings in terms of clouds, rain, and storms.
The setting and everything else is open to your imagination. Remember this is fiction. Draw on memories and feelings, but don’t get lost in your own past. Writing can be very therapeutic in exploring our past. Being able to step aside and view past events dispassionately and write about them is helpful. However, if past storms in your life have not been confronted, please find someone to talk with and seek true healing. All storms pass eventually.

Journal prompt

Journaling allows us to hold conversations on paper. From private diaries to creative art journals we pour out our deepest thoughts. Clouds, their various meanings and associated metaphors are often part of my creative, and in particular, journaling process. I quite often relate difficult times with cloudy skies… which I find interesting because I love looking at a cloudy sky and exploring the shapes and textures.

Questions to answer, thoughts to explore or images to create in your journal:
- Do you have any metaphorical clouds in your life you need to explore?
- What shape do you most associate with clouds?
- Explore the texture of clouds by using various media
As with the writing prompt above, journaling will help to deal with cloudy days but do seek further guidance and help if you are finding it difficult to see sunny days.

Theory of General Creativity

I now have ‘clouds’ written on the board above my computer. I am looking forward to seeing how it will inspire me on my creative journey this week. The way clouds can mean so much, from fluffy pillow textures to thunderheads threatening destruction, offers a variety of creative options. And the fact that they do eventually drift away means I might get to complete the items on my to-do list.

Let ‘clouds’ inspire your music, photography, and painting this week.

Finally…

As always, these creative prompts are optional and entirely open to your interpretation. Use them as a starting point for a short story, something a little more grandiose.

As mentioned before, this isn’t a ‘challenge’ but the prompts can be used that way if you want. If you do create anything using them, I would love to see or hear about it. Leave a link in the comments below or tag me on any social platform.
5 June 2021