darren r hill

the creative minimalist

I return from a brief vlogging hiatus with a raft of excuses, some more feasible and valid than others. The creative path is winding, and sometimes there are valid reasons for not being creative. In this week’s vlog I try to explain.
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In a productive moment, I finished a creative project. In a surreal moment, I decided to interview myself about the challenges, practicalities and what exactly that creative project was. In a recorded moment, I present this week’s vlog about completing a creative project.
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There are times when being creative, writing, painting, making music or any creative activity just isn’t working out. At those times it may be that we need a break, or as I like to call it, meandering with purpose. This week’s vlog explores when and why a little meander might be just what we need
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This past week has been hard going. This creative life of mine was all over the place and a bit of a mess. So, in this week’s vlog, it is time to take a look at mountains as a creative metaphor. The next mountain may be higher, but the view will be amazing.
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How have we done with our creative goals, habits and routines as the first quarter of the year passes? I confess to what I have achieved and not achieved in Q1 as I review and prepare for Q2. Creative successes and habit failures are in this week’s vlog
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Everywhere we look there are adverts and influencers offering stuff to make our lives perfect. I have also been seeing a lot of talk about minimising what we have and what we use in our creative lives. This week’s vlog explores this very issue.
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Alive — Friday Fiction Writing Prompt
A Fiction and Journal Writing Prompt exploring life and being alive to stretch the literary muscles. No rules. No word counts. Simply write and explore.

Movement, just a flicker, but movement. Almost imperceptible, but movement. It means one thing, life.

Writing Prompt Expanded

Easter has just passed and in the Northern Hemisphere, the buds are beginning to bloom, the lambs are being born and the trees are becoming greener. It was this time of year that decided Alive as my creative prompt for the week. Now it is time to turn that into a writing prompt and have a little fiction or journal fun.

This prompt is all about life and being alive. Movement often defines life, and certainly intelligent life. This prompt explores that, although what is moving is entirely up to you.
- What is beginning to move?
- How do you describe the movement?
- Is the movement hoped for, wanted or not?
Depending on your setting and perspective, who the narrator is, will always determine what you write. One area to explore in fiction is the emotional response. Both hoped for life and feared life will bring out strong emotions. Depending on what is alive will bring relief or fear.

In a journal setting, you might want to explore how to give life to your dreams and hopes. How can your ideal future become a reality and be alive?

Put pen to paper, or finger to keyboard and let the words come alive.

As always these writing prompts are optional and entirely open to your interpretation. Use them as a starting point for a short story, something a little more grandiose or for your journal. If you do write something, please share it or a link, in the comments, use the hashtag #ffwp or tag me. I’d love to read what you create. Write and enjoy the learning process.

Original moss image by Susann Mielke 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.

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9 April 2021
Overwhelmed with too many Creative projects

I am currently overwhelmed by the number of creative projects or creative possibilities that I have. To continue on my pilgrimage I need to drop or get rid of a few. It’s difficult to let go of some things though. I’d love to hear how you decide what to do and focus on? Would love to hear your thoughts and comments either here or on YouTube.

Stay safe my friends xox

6 April 2021
Alive — Weekly Creative Prompt
It’s time for another weekly creative prompt word. These weekly words, or prompts, are to give me, and anyone else who wants to join in, some focus to our creative work.

The sun is currently shining. We are in astronomical spring. At this time of Easter, Christianity and other religious traditions, talk of new life, resurrection, and rebirth. It is a time of hope for the future and a time to move on from the past. And with the year many of us have had, that is no bad thought to carry. Therefore…

This week’s creative prompt word is:

Alive — continuing in existence or use

this isn’t the only definition of the word, it can be used in a variety of ways, however, I liked the continued aspect of this

Let the prompt inspire you in any area of creativity that you are interested:
- writing fiction
- art journaling
- songwriting
- journaling
- photography
- painting
- composing
- blog posts
- art therapy
- anything that could use a little nudge to begin
I now have ‘alive’ written on the board above my computer. I am confident it will inspire me on my creative journey this week. And, I know it will remind me of how grateful I am that the sun is shining, new life and opportunities are growing, and I am here to be part of it all.

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
4 April 2021
Worship — Friday Fiction Writing Prompt
A Fiction Writing Prompt about worship to stretch the literary muscles. No rules. No word counts. Simply write and explore.

I stop. My senses are overwhelmed. It is spectacular. I am in awe.

Writing Prompt Expanded

At times the above prompt is very real to me. Quite often a moment out among the trees or by the sea will stop me in my tracks. The beauty and untamed magic found at those times take me beyond the mundane. The complexity and, at the same time, simplicity of nature is amazing to behold.

This prompt is all about taking one of those moments and exploring it. This falls into my own broad definition of worship.
- What is causing you to feel this way?
- How do you describe the effect on your senses?
- What is the physical response of your body?
This prompt works equally well as a fiction starter or as a personal journal prompt. For fiction, it could be unreal or an apparition, there might be ‘false gods’! It might be the realisation and culmination of a hero quest or pilgrimage? If you use the prompt in your journal, remember that worship isn’t limited to organised religion. In its broadest sense worship is simply acknowledging the awe and wonder of what is around us. And, I can’t help thinking that we could all do with a little more awe and wonder in our lives.

As always these writing prompts are optional and entirely open to your interpretation. Use them as a starting point for a short story, something a little more grandiose or a journal prompt. If you do write something, please share it or a link, in the comments, use the hashtag #ffwp or tag me @darrenrhill. I’d love to read what you create. Write and enjoy the learning process and stop in awe at what you have created!

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 April 2021
An essential creativity tool I didn’t know I needed

31 March 2021
Worship — Weekly Creative Prompt
It’s time for another weekly creative prompt word. These weekly words, or prompts, are to give me, and anyone else who wants to join in, some focus to our creative work.

Today is Palm Sunday. In certain faiths, this is the day Jesus entered Jerusalem to welcoming cheers. The officials were not happy. They didn’t want anyone or anything apart from what the state-approved to be revered, and within a week, they pretty much had their way. Today we have a little more freedom to what we want to show adoration. Therefore…

This week’s creative prompt word is:

Worship — great admiration or devotion shown towards a person or principle

this isn’t the only definition of worship, but I wanted to steer as clear as possible from any ‘organised’ meaning

Let the prompt inspire you in any area of creativity that you are interested:
- writing fiction
- art journaling
- songwriting
- journaling
- photography
- painting
- composing
- blog posts
- art therapy
- anything that could use a little nudge to begin
I now have ‘worship’ written on the board above my computer. I am confident it will inspire me on my creative journey this week. The concept of worship, whether religious or more general, enables me to think beyond myself. I hope that it will help you step back and appreciate things in the next few days.

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 @darrenrhill or #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
28 March 2021