darren r hill

the creative minimalist

Category: Creativity

All posts relating to creativity in general. How to be creative rather than specific creative projects.

Spirit Weekly creative prompt
At times, my world, or life, feels a bit like a paradox. On the one hand, I love science and fact, understanding how and why things work and exist. On the other, I believe in the supernatural, the unseen, the literally unprovable. And it is that unseen aspect that we will explore.

This week’s creative prompt is spirit. Each week we begin with a single word and expand it to inspire writing fiction, journaling and other creative activities. These creative prompts, are to give me, and anyone else who wants to join in, some inspiration for creative work, personal development and even a little self-care.

Spirit means many things, as can be seen below. Yet the main aspect I want to explore is its unseen nature, and how close the unseen and the seen really are.

When Paul writes in the New Testament (Galatians 5:22–23) about the Spirit, an unseen entity, he explains that although the Spirit can’t be seen, its fruits or its practical application in life is visible. The unseen and the seen are a lot closer than we think. It’s the same in most belief systems, through both good and evil actions.

And spirit isn’t limited to religion. The word is used in business, sport and other activities to inspire actions and make choices.

spirit, spirits, spirited

Definitions

spirit — noun
- the non-physical part of a person
- a supernatural being: shrines to nature spirits
- the prevailing or typical quality, mood, or attitude of a person, group, or period of time
- a person’s prominent quality or with their role in a group or movement
- a person’s mood
- a person’s attitude
- the quality of courage, energy, and determination
- the real meaning or intention behind something
verb; (spirits, spiriting, spirited) convey rapidly and secretly

Spirit can be an Individual or mass noun and is used with or without an adjective. It also has a related verb.

Related

soul, psyche, inner self, inner being, essential being, ego, id, ka, atman, life force, animating principle, vital spark, breath of life, ghost, phantom, spectre, apparition, wraith, shadow, presence, temperament, disposition, character, nature, personality, complexion, mind, heart, attitude, real/true meaning, essence, substance.

Antonyms

body, flesh

spirit is summed up for me as something unseen. And I believe it can be both personal and inanimate.

Let the prompt ‘spirit’ 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
Writing prompt

A Fiction Writing Prompt exploring the word spirit to stretch the literary muscles. No rules. No word counts. Simply write and explore. It’s time to let your creative writing skills free.

“That’s the spirit,” they said. Little did they know what spirit was leading me..

Writing Prompt Expanded

I wanted something fun and open for this writing prompt. Although the speech and response are quite direct, the context isn’t. We touch on an action of some sort and an unseen reason why our protagonist, who is also our narrator, is acting this way.

That’s what this prompt is all about, explaining how and why someone is acting in a certain way. So let’s explore.
- What is the setting?
- What is the action?
- What spirit is behind it all?
The context for this prompt is entirely up to you. You could go down the supernatural route of unseen angels or demons, jinns or other animistic beings. Or, another more literal spirit in the form of alcohol. There is also the possibility of a previous event that leads to feelings being revisited, creating a spirit of fear or anxiety or bravery.

Enjoy and may the spirit of literary creativity enable your words to flow on the page.

Quick fiction writing

Set a time limit, use the following random prompts and write a short piece of fiction.
- Character: ghost
- Place: kitchen
- Item: closed diary
Journal prompt

Sitting down and writing in a journal is an important part of my day. I look back and review what I have done. I do my best to think about why I have done something. What was driving me? Why did I do this or that? What was the spirit within prompting and inspiring? The reason for this is to try to understand the reasons and then change my actions for the better if needed… and that is quite often.

Three ideas for your journal
- explore why you did a particular action today
- draw, paint or collage a representation of spirit
- draw a tree, give it a living soul or spirit.. does it smile?
Theory of General Creativity

I now have ‘spirit’ written on the board above my computer. I am confident it will inspire me on my creative journey this week. Life is a mix of seen and unseen things; creativity is a mix of unseen inspiration within and its seen creation.
- capture some clouds with your camera as the spirit of the wind blows them across the sky
- what colour represents your own spirit… paint it
- what unseen emotions drive your songwriting or poetry?
Let ‘spirit’ 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, a moment in your journal, something a little more grandiose or any creative project or idea.

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
3 April 2022
Tangle Weekly creative prompt
To say the world and therefore life has been a little complicated and messed up over the past few years would be an understatement. From Climate to Covid, Vaccinations to inVasions these times are not quite as straightforward as some might like. And my mind struggles to find any simple solutions. And so…

This week’s creative prompt is Tangle. Each week we begin with a single word and expand it to inspire writing fiction, journaling and other creative activities. These creative prompts, are to give me, and anyone else who wants to join in, some inspiration for creative work, personal development and even a little self-care.

Not only is the world a little tangled but my own life feels the same. Like a piece of string that appeared straight and stretched out is actually twisted and rolled up into a ball. It can be unpicked I am sure, but at the moment everything feels entangled… and I love that version of the word.

When things get tangled, untangling is the only thing to do if you want to get anywhere.

Tangle, tangled, entangled

Definitions

tangle — verb; twist into a confused mass, make complicated or confused or become involved in a conflict

noun; a confused mass, a confused or complicated state or a fight, argument, or disagreement

tangled — adjective; twisted together untidily, complicated and confused

Related

entangle, snarl, catch, entwine, intertwine, intertwist, twist, ravel, knot, enmesh, coil, mat, jumble, muddle, disorder, web or come into conflict, become involved, have a dispute, dispute, argue, quarrel, fight, row, wrangle, squabble, contend, cross swords, lock horns

Antonyms

untangle, disentangle, unravel

Tangle is summed up for me as a mess. Fortunately, most messes can be cleaned up.

Let the prompt ‘tangle’ 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
Writing prompt

A Fiction Writing Prompt exploring the word tangle to stretch the literary muscles. No rules. No word counts. Simply write and explore.

It was a mess, distinct yet entangled. It needed sorting.

Writing Prompt Expanded

When things get messy we have a choice, leave it or clean it up. Depending on the situation one may be easier than the other. Some messes are more serious than others, they may have far-reaching consequences both for ourselves and others.

That’s what this prompt is all about. There’s a mess and your protagonist has decided that it needs to be cleaned up. So let’s explore.
- What is tangled?
- Why are they tangled?
- How can they be untangled?
The context for this prompt is entirely up to you. The challenge is to create the mess and work out how to sort it. This is what all basic plots are. There is a situation and your character or characters have to resolve it. The situation can be personal, major or minor, or it could be on a global scale. The choice as always is yours.

Enjoy and may your words flow untangled as they first create and then resolve the messy situation.

Quick fiction writing

Set a time limit, use the following random prompts and write a short piece of fiction.
- Character: retired lady
- Place: bedroom, getting ready to go out
- Item: two gold necklaces… tangled
Journal prompt

When I get in a mess, and I often do, I open up my journal. I write down how I feel, any relevant details and then see if I can work out what to do. However, it is easy to think that everything that is tangles is negative. Sometimes we want or even need to be entangled. Being tangled can be intentional and good for the soul.

Three ideas for your journal
- twist and roll up a pieces of string or twine, dip in paint or ink and print
- draw a squiggle of a line over a page and keep doing it until you have a mess… can you highlight any shapes?
- is there a situation in your life than needs untangling? Create a plan
Theory of General Creativity

I now have ‘tangle’ written on the board above my computer. I am confident it will inspire me on my creative journey this week. Life is messy and tangled and life is art and art is life; entangled creativity.
- capture tangles items with your camera
- tangle and mix up items, colour and even sounds that don’t normally go together and see what happens
- untangle and keep elements apart in your visual art
Let ‘tangle’ 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, a moment in your journal, something a little more grandiose or any creative project or idea.

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
20 March 2022
Reflect Weekly creative prompt
It’s been a while but the weekly creative prompt is back. After a period of personal reflection, the creative minimalist is once again pulling together some thoughts and ideas to inspire your own creative journey. And as such…

This week’s creative prompt is Reflect. Each week we begin with a single word and expand it to inspire writing fiction, journaling and other creative activities. These creative prompts, are to give me, and anyone else who wants to join in, some inspiration for creative work, personal development and even a little self-care.

Recently the concept of reflecting has been bouncing around my mind. The moon reflects the sun’s light. Water is a reflective surface. At Lent Christians reflect on how they live, re-evaluating their relationship with the divine, giving up something to be closer to God. Reflecting is done in a lot of ways and at a lot of places.

I reflect on what I have done; I think about what I can do.

Definitions

reflect — throw back (heat, light, or sound) without absorbing it, show an image of, embody or represent (something) in a faithful or appropriate way, think deeply or carefully about

Reflect is a verb. It can be used with an object or without. It is also a word that has quite a few synonyms, so let’s use those to expand our creative thinking.

Related

send back, cast back, give back, bounce back, shine back, return, mirror

indicate, show, display, demonstrate, be evidence of, register, reveal, betray, evince, disclose, exhibit, manifest; express, bespeak, communicate, bear out, attest, prove, evidence.

think about, give thought to, consider, give consideration to, review, mull over, contemplate, study, cogitate about/on, meditate on, muse on, deliberate about/on, ruminate about/on/over, dwell on, brood on/over, agonise over, worry about, chew over, puzzle over, speculate about, weigh up, turn over in one’s mind

Reflect denotes representation. It conjures up images of mirrors, water and other reflective surfaces, duplicates and tessellations.

Let the prompt ‘reflect’ 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
Writing prompt

A Fiction Writing Prompt exploring the word reflect to stretch the literary muscles. No rules. No word counts. Simply write and explore. This prompt may trigger some deep feelings if you have recently lost someone close, so only explore it if you feel able.

Life flashed before her/his eyes. As time subjectively stretched, she/he reflected on a life…

Writing Prompt Expanded

Some believe that just before the moment of death our lives flash before our eyes. This prompt is all about exploring that moment in a fictional aspect. This may be due to culture’s history with the belief in an afterlife in many religions. See all life and decide whether the positive outweighs the negative.

Of course, this doesn’t have to be about death, it could be a near-death experience, just a scare or anything that triggers the reflection. The focus though is reflecting on what has gone before and viewing those events and feelings in perhaps a more objective way than when the event first took place.
- What are the life moments being reflected upon?
- How are events different reliving and reflecting on them?
- Overall was the life positive or negative, good or bad, or both?
The context for this prompt is entirely up to you. The challenge is to describe the events in a more objective way. This means looking at them without the initial emotions clouding your view. We can feel angry or upset when something first occurs, but then later, we realise that those emotions may have been misplaced.

Enjoy and may your words flow quickly and only slow when you reflect on and edit them.

Quick fiction writing

Set a time limit, use the following random prompts and write a short piece of fiction.
- Character: two year old child
- Place: on the floor (with Mum’s handbag)
- Item: mirror
Journal prompt

If one word could describe the time in my journals it would be reflect. I have to admit it could be too much time. I spend far too long reflecting and not finding any solutions or acting on the conclusions when occasionally they do come along. However, as a word to start with reflecting on your day, or recent events is great way to clear your mind, organise your thoughts and understand ourself a little better.

Three ideas for your journal
- reflect on your day, what was good, bad and what could you have done differently
- find a picture, stick it down and draw a reflection of it
- paint, draw and/or collage using shiny, reflective materials
Theory of General Creativity

I now have ‘reflect’ written on the board above my computer. I am confident it will inspire me on my creative journey this week and I will do, not simply reflect, on what I write in my journal.
- capture reflective surfaces or reflections with your camera
- take a step back and reflect on what the next step is when planning a project
- reflections are different from the original, they are mirrored. Mirror a theme or melody, make it similar but not the same
Let ‘reflect’ 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, a moment in your journal, something a little more grandiose or any creative project or idea.

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
13 March 2022
Adventure. Weekly creative prompt
This week’s creative prompt is Adventure. Each week we begin with a single word and expand it to inspire writing fiction, journaling and other creative activities. These creative prompts, are to give me, and anyone else who wants to join in, some inspiration for our creative work.

Definitions

adventure — an unusual and exciting or daring experience, excitement associated with danger or the taking of risks, a reckless or potentially hazardous action or enterprise, engage in daring or risky activity

Adventure can be used as a noun or verb.

Related

escapade, deed, feat, trial, experience, incident, occurrence, event, happening, episode, affair, stunt, caper, romp, antic, quest, crusade, campaign, venture

Adventure often denotes excitement, life is an adventure, and yet there is always the element of the unknown in a true adventure, and the unknown brings risk and even fear at times.

Let the prompt ‘adventure’ inspire you in any area of creativity that you are interested in:
- 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…

Writing prompt

A Fiction Writing Prompt exploring the word adventure to stretch the literary muscles. No rules. No word counts. Simply write and explore.

I closed the bag. If I had forgotten anything, it was too late. Now the adventure could begin.

Writing Prompt Expanded

I recently packed my bags and left on my own adventure across the world. Being a slightly obsessive individual, I may have checked and double-checked everything I put into my case and carry-on. All this was after seemingly endless debates about what I should or should not take.

This prompt aims to capture that moment and more. It is a moment of anticipation and uncertainty. A moment that should affect every sense of your protagonist.
- Is the adventure planned or a surprise?
- What feeling dominates, excitement or fear?
- Where will the adventure lead?
The context for this prompt is entirely up to you. The challenge is to describe the feelings being experienced. Use your memories of travel and adventure. Try to draw on metaphorical adventures and transfer those feelings into this prose.

Enjoy and may your writing be an adventure captured in words.

Quick fiction writing

Set a time limit, use the following random prompts and write a short piece of fiction.
- Character: five-year-old child
- Place: airport
- Item: an unattended bag
Journal prompt

We can use journals to record our adventures. Adding tickets and other ephemera turn a diary of events into a living memorial. The phrase life is an adventure is used by many, capture that adventure, your life in your journal.

Three ideas for your journal
- next time you go on a trip, keep all the tickets and any related ephemera to make a journal of your adventure when you get home
- make a collage inspired by the word adventure
- create a list of places you would like to visit as part of your life adventure
Theory of General Creativity

I now have ‘adventure’ written on the board above my computer. I am confident it will inspire me on my creative journey this week.
- capture the adventure of each day with your camera
- use the emotions of adventure — the feelings of excitement and risk — in a painting or piece of music
- begin a piece of art as and adventure with no destination
Let ‘adventure’ 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, or any creative project or idea.

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
28 November 2021
Rest. Weekly creative prompt
This week’s creative prompt is Rest. Each week we begin with a single word and expand it to inspire writing fiction, journaling and other creative activities. These creative prompts, are to give me, and anyone else who wants to join in, some inspiration for our creative work.

Definitions

rest — allow to be inactive to regain strength or health, be placed or supported to stay in a specified position

Rest can be used as a noun or verb.

Related

relax, ease up/off, let up, slow down, pause, have/take a break, ease, inactivity, respite, time off, time out, breathing space

Rest denotes inactivity, a time to do nothing. So, can we make rest work as a creative prompt? Let’s see…

Let the prompt ‘rest’ 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…

Writing prompt

A Fiction Writing Prompt exploring the word rest to stretch the literary muscles. No rules. No word counts. Simply write and explore.

It was too much. I was overwhelmed. My mind couldn’t cope. I had to rest.

Writing Prompt Expanded

The modern world is fast-paced. We are beset with deadlines, appointments, expiry dates, the time to upgrade, alarms to wake up and take medicine. We move from minute to minute, day to day, doing whatever our day demands. If we are fortunate, we may get a few weeks each year on holiday, a holiday full of new demands and time pressures.

Sometimes this all gets too much, and that is where this prompt begins. We should all know what it feels like, and so we can call on our memories and experiences in our writing here. However, this is fiction and so…
- What has overwhelmed our character?
- What are the physical effects?
- How will the character rest?
The context for this prompt is entirely up to you. Use your experiences and memories of feeling overwhelmed to bring reality to your fiction. A truism often used is write what you know. To develop your writing, exaggerate and elaborate on these experiences.

Enjoy and may your words rest easy on the page as you create and write.

Quick fiction writing

Set a time limit, use the following random prompts and write a short piece of fiction.
- Character: child
- Place: shop
- Item: shelves of sweets
Journal prompt

Making time for writing, creating and doodling in our journals is a great way to rest. Despite alarms often being the cause of stress for me, I have several set to remind me to stop and open up my journal. And if you’ve watched my YouTube channel, you’ll know I have and use several journals.

Three ideas for your journal
- overwhelmed? write a list
- create a collage that represents rest for you
- plan a restful holiday, the place, what you need and how to make it a reality
Theory of General Creativity

I now have ‘rest’ written on the board above my computer. I am also on a journey of pilgrimage and discovery at the moment, so making time for some personal rest as well. However, I am still working away and creating, I am confident it will inspire me on my creative journey this week.
- capture things resting with your camera
- remember to pause and rest during a creative project if you are unsure of the next step
- use rest and space in paintings, multimedia and sound
Let ‘rest’ 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, or any creative project or idea.

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
21 November 2021
Night. Weekly creative prompt
This week’s creative prompt is Night. Each week we begin with a single word and expand it to inspire writing fiction, journaling and other creative activities. These creative prompts, are to give me, and anyone else who wants to join in, some inspiration for our creative work.

Definitions

night — the period from sunset to sunrise in every twenty-four hours, the night as the interval between two days

Night can be used as a noun or adverb.

Related

darkness, dark, hours of darkness, nighttime, dead of night, nocturnal

And don’t forget nyctophobia, the fear of the night.

Night being an old goth at heart, I like the night and all things dark. However, it also makes me think of rest and expectations for the day to come.

Let the prompt ‘night’ inspire you in any area of creativity that you are interested in:
- 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…

Writing prompt

A Fiction Writing Prompt exploring the word night to stretch the literary muscles. No rules. No word counts. Simply write and explore.

It was dark. All was quiet. It was the night before…

Writing Prompt Expanded

Almost everyone knows the phrase, ’twas the night before Christmas’ even if they don’t know the rest of the poem from which it is taken. This phrase conjures up the expectation of what is to come.

This prompt is all about that magical conjuring. Something is going to happen, and before it does, your role as a writer is to set the scene. The prompt explains that it is dark, and then it offers the reason for that, it’s night… or is that the reason?
- Why is it dark, is the dark different to other nights?
- How will you keep the reader’s attention once you declare what the night is before?
- Who is narrating, is it a non-performing character or someone in the story?
The context for this prompt is entirely up to you. The challenge is to describe the situation. How does what will happen after affect what is happening now, in the before? Will your fiction describe happy or sad events? A scary moment and impending fear?

Enjoy, the choice of context is yours, but if you are writing something scary, and it is the night, you may want to leave a light on.

Quick fiction writing

Set a time limit, use the following random prompts and write a short piece of fiction.
- Character: vampire
- Place: beach
- Item: no coffin
Journal prompt

Do you count nights or sleeps until an event, or do you count days? I have been doing both recently as I wait for something. And there will be more about that in the blog soon, I am certain. But before the blog, my journal is and has been full of countdowns.

When it comes to writing in our journals, we may pick them up at specific times, as soon as we wake from the night, or at night before we go to sleep. It doesn’t matter when, but it made me think that night is more than just something we can put in our journal.

Three ideas for your journal
- Create or use a black page, and add a single, simple item to be with you at night
- paint a nighttime scan full of stars, galaxies, and the moon
- keep a record of how long you sleep each night
Theory of General Creativity

I now have ‘night’ written on the board above my computer. I am confident it will inspire me on my creative journey this week.
- capture things that light at night with your camera
- use night (and day) as metaphor when creating some music or a painting
- remember night as a rhythm of life, a downtime, before we had the availability of so much light, we had to take a break
Let ‘night’ 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, or any creative project or idea.

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
14 November 2021