darren r hill

the creative minimalist

Tag: ideas

  • Ink — Weekly Creative Prompt

    Welcome to this week’s complete 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, something to focus on in our creative work.

    We live in a digital age. Information is available at the touch of a button and the connection to a network. Binary code delivers whatever we want to know, some things that we don’t want to know, and cute videos of animals. Words, images, and sound appear on screens and speakers of all sizes. However, we still have and create things in print. Before digital, we had the printing press, before the press there were pens and brushes. Therefore, this week’s creative prompt is:

    Ink — a coloured fluid or paste used for writing, drawing, printing, or duplicating

    this is just one definition, I couldn’t leave out the fact that some of my favourite cephalopods use ink to confuse predators

    Let the prompt ‘ink’ 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.

    It was time. I had put this off for too long. I picked up the pen and dipped the nib in the ink. Fiction writing prompt

    It was time. I had put this off for too long. I picked up the pen and dipped the nib in the ink.

    Writing Prompt Expanded

    I love stationery. I love pens. Yes, that is my dipping pen in the picture. However, I also have plenty of blank pages. I can be a procrastinator, putting things off until the last minute. I might be unsure what to write or scared to say what I really think and feel, or simply afraid to make the first mark through fear of making a mistake.

    This prompt, in one sense, is about facing a creative person’s worst nightmare, the blank page. Remember though, this is fiction… really… sort of.

    • What have you been putting off?
    • Why are you using a pen and ink?
    • How do you encourage yourself to make the first mark?

    The writing perspective is the first person, but that, as always, can be changed. The challenge is to convey the reason using the ink has taken so long. It is about exploring fear. It might be insubstantial, but it has still stopped you from using it. Time to overcome any writing or drawing fears and put ink pen to paper in this piece of fiction.

    Journal prompt

    Journaling allows us to hold conversations on paper. From private diaries to art journals, we pour out our deepest thoughts. Inkblots can mean many things and have been used to explore personality. Spill some ink on a page. Blot it with another piece of paper. What do you see? Can you add other art embellishments to turn it into something?

    Questions to answer, thoughts to explore or images to create in your journal:

    • Do you find the first ink mark the most difficult?
    • Why?
    • Do you like your handwriting? What do you like or dislike about it?

    Theory of General Creativity

    I now have ‘ink’ written on the board above my computer. I am confident it will inspire me on my creative journey this week. However, I struggle with messy art or writing. Ink, for me, has always been a medium where I make a mess. However, as I create more and more, I have realised that often creativity happens in the mess. Perfect doesn’t exist. Smudges, stains and splatters, either literal or metaphorical, are where the creative magic happens. I need to be messier.

    Let ‘ink’ 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 or something a little more grandiose, an ATC, large canvas or journal page. Commit it to paper in ink.

    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

  • Lost — 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.

    When it comes to being unsure of things, this past year has had quite an effect. The pandemic and its consequences have left many of us not knowing what to do or not being able to do what we want to do. Feelings of confusion and uncertainty have been abundant. Therefore, this week’s creative prompt is:

    Lost — unable to find one’s way; not knowing one’s whereabouts

    this is one meaning, there is also the meaning concerning something that has been taken away or cannot be recovered

    Let the prompt ‘lost’ 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.

    Whichever way I looked. Whatever direction I faced. It made no difference. I was lost.

    Writing Prompt Expanded

    The word lost can be used in a variety of ways. It can relate to something very real and very physical, with either the object or subject lost. It can also refer to internal feelings, it isn’t just the TV remote that gets lost. This flexibility makes the word a great metaphor.

    This prompt is all about describing the situation and feelings of being lost.

    • Are you physically lost somewhere?
    • What is the predominant feeling associated with being lost?
    • How do your senses tell you that you are lost?

    The writing perspective is the first person. This often makes it easier to explain feelings and use metaphor and simile? However, you can change to the third person. You also have complete control over the context and setting. Has your character gone out and got lost, have they woken up to find themselves someplace unknown, or are they having an existential episode? The choice is always yours… but don’t get lost deciding.

    Journal prompt

    Journaling allows us to hold conversations on paper. From private diaries to creative art journals, we pour out our deepest thoughts. Exploring our feelings of uncertainty, or of memories and moments that we no longer have, are meaningful journal entries.

    Questions to answer, thoughts to explore or images to create in your journal:

    • What is the most treasured item you have lost?
    • Have you ever been so unsure about the future that you felt lost?
    • If you get lost, do you panic or are you a shining example of calm?

    Theory of General Creativity

    I now have ‘lost’ written on the board above my computer. I am confident it will inspire me on my creative journey this week. Several months ago I was lost when it came to a musical direction, but now I seem to have found my way. However, there are many times within the songwriting and recording process when I don’t know what direction to take. I am momentarily lost. Then the journal will come out, or I will ‘explore’ the musical landscape until I find my way.

    Let ‘lost’ 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.

    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

  • Heat — 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.

    When I planned out the creative prompts for this month, I had vague thoughts about summer. I had hoped the UK might be enjoying glorious sunshine and that I would be reading in the garden. As is so often the case here, we are not enjoying record temperatures. However, Canada and the US Northwest have, and it has caused many problems. Therefore, this week’s creative prompt is:

    Heat — the quality of being hot; high temperature:

    this is just one definition, the word can be used in a variety of ways, but high temperature was at the front of my mind when I was thinking about this prompt

    Let the prompt ‘heat’ 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.

    I couldn’t think about anything else. All that mattered at this moment was the heat. fiction writing prompt

    I couldn’t think about anything else. All that mattered at this moment was the heat.

    Writing Prompt Expanded

    Thankfully, most of us have never faced extreme weather conditions, and if we have, they are rarely as bad as the disaster movies. But anything out of the ordinary, however short-lived, gives us a glimpse of what things are like. A UK heatwave has little in common with the temperatures in Death Valley, but how the temperature makes us feel is key.

    This prompt is all about describing an extreme. We need to build on our experiences and exaggerate.

    • What metaphors and similes can you use to describe the heat?
    • How does the heat compare to what the ‘narrator’ has previously experienced?
    • What sense are most affected and why?

    The writing perspective is the first person, and as always, this makes it easier to explore the feelings of the character. The setting and everything else is open to your imagination. Is your writing about a hot day, or is it describing something long term and more sinister? Enjoy, but stay cool.

    Journal prompt

    Journaling allows us to hold conversations on paper. From private diaries to creative art journals, we pour out our deepest thoughts. Heat, as a term, and prompt is quite abstract. I find looking through a thesaurus can be a great way to find creative angles on words and terms. I also find it a rabbit hole that I easily fall down, so beware. For art journals, illustrating heat will be an interesting challenge.

    Questions to answer, thoughts to explore or images to create in your journal:

    • How have you coped with extreme heat in the past/present?
    • What is the worst part of too much heat?
    • What colours describe heat?

    Theory of General Creativity

    I now have ‘heat’ written on the board above my computer. I am hoping it will inspire me on my creative journey this week. Although I long for a nice, warm summer, I know that too much heat isn’t always good for my creativity. But, with the sea only a few minutes away, I have no excuse if I need to cool off. And what better place to explore creative ideas. No excuses Darren.

    Let ‘heat’ 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.

    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

  • 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

  • Sun — Weekly Creative Prompt

    Sun — Weekly Creative Prompt

    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. Fiction writing prompt

    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

  • 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