All posts filed under: Daily Blog

Creative Prompt Day 8 – Ocean!

Hey! Sorry about missing yesterday. Sometimes days are nuts and all you can do is keep your nose above the water. Speaking of water! Today’s prompt is the Ocean! There is so much in the ocean to give us inspiration. There’s water, and fish and sunken pirate treasure! What is your favorite ocean related movie? I am a fan of ‘The Abyss’, I also really like ‘Whale Rider’ and of course there is always ‘Moana’. So there is a lot of inspiration in the ocean, it’s dark and mysterious, there is still so much we don’t know about it. There are giant squids and angler fish, and tiny puffer fish who make beautiful mandalas for their fishy girl friends: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B91tozyQs9M There is even a giant island made of garbage, while not really beautiful, definitely inspiration for creative thinking. Remember, creative thinking is not just about aesthetics (though it often presents that way) it is about looking at the world through a different lens. What can we learn from the ocean? Will dolphins eventually help us …

Creative Prompt Day 6 – D Day

First, a quick word about these prompts. Since this is really just about inspiring creativity, there is nothing to say that you cannot complete the prompt at a later day than when it is officially posted. Things get busy and sometimes all you can do is sit and stare at the TV (May I recommend Good Omens if you have not already watched it). The ultimate point (which I have stated already, but will always bear repeating) is to think more creatively in general. The process is more important than the product. This means that a creation may not make total sense, be a first draft or only partially thought out. Don’t worry! The doing is the whole point. So, D Day. This is a hard one. The landing at Normandy was the largest seaborne invasion in history, with 156,000 soldiers and 195,000 naval personnel. This was the turning point for WWII. On D Day’s 75th anniversary what do you feel? This day means a lot of things. Sacrifice, the power of war, it’s horrors …

Creative Prompt Day 5 – The Environment!

The Environment is pretty important, it’s essentially where we keep all our stuff. Perhaps that is why the United Nations has chosen June 5th to be ‘World Environment Day’. And every year they choose a different theme (because there are really countless different ways we are messing the Environment up). This year’s theme is ‘Air Pollution’. So with the Environment on your mind do something creative! Plant a tree, paint a tragic scene of a choking city, don’t smoke for a day and then write an angry poem, write a story dedicated to the goddess of air.

Creative Prompt Day 4 – Cats!

Sorry this prompt post is so late. This is my first opportunity to even open my computer today. But I think this prompt is pretty self explanatory. Anyone who has lived with cats knows they are strange and wonderful creatures. They are the source of much wonder and delight. There is a lot to say about cats, but we all know it already. They are tiny gods amongst us. They are aliens from another world. They are evil geniuses, watchers of things unseen, philosophers and jesters. They are all these things and more rolled into one! How could they not be a source of joy and inspiration? So I will leave you with one of my favorite poems about cats (I have two actually, the other one, by Christopher Smart, can be found here: https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/45173/jubilate-agno )’ ‘Ode to Spot’ – by Lieutenant Commander Data Felis catus is your taxonomic nomenclature, An endothermic quadruped, carnivorous by nature; Your visual, olfactory, and auditory senses Contribute to your hunting skills and natural defenses.   I find myself intrigued …

Creative Prompt Day 3 – Repeat!

Pete and Repeat were in a boat, Pete fell out, who was left? REPEAT! Pete and Repeat were in a boat… You get the picture. Today is all about repetition. The corner stone to learning after all! I personally love repeating patterns, like the Escher pictured above. I also love the zen feeling of repeating an action. Get a cup of tea, add milk and stir, and stir, and stir. Try to keep the tempo even and smooth – it is very calming. That are what mantras are, or repeating prayers – repetition focuses us and gives our brains a rest from the constant barrage of internal chatter. There is this acting technique that uses repetition to help get the actor out of her head. It’s more complicated than simply repeating lines, but it has been proved effective, because repetition can be really freeing. Repetition can also be much more creative than we realize. Everything needs a foundation, like the chorus in a song, that keeps the listener hooked, but still allowing for creative changes. …

Creative Prompt Day 2 – ROCKS!

Rocks you say?! What are we supposed to do with rocks? Well the great thing about rocks is that they are everywhere. So go do something with, about or inspired by rocks! Write a story about climbing a mountain (just a giant rock after all, right?) Make a cairn, paint rocks and hide them around your neighborhood to bring joy to strangers. Give thanks for the people in your life that you can depend on, (your proverbial rocks!) and let them know. Or make a dance to your favorite rock music. Heck, you can even bring back the pet rock trend! How cool would that be?! Anyway, Show me your STONES!

It Nourishes the Soul

I started a group this week to help inspire and encourage creativity. I’m not really sure why I decided to start this group, except that things have been rough as of late. Work has been stressful, and joy in short supply. Add to that certain interpersonal issues and all around fatigue, and I have found myself spiritually and emotionally empty. So I suppose I needed something that had the potential to inspire. I am at a crossroads in my life. I don’t know if I should keep going straight, or take another road. And even if I did take another road, where would it lead? So, in the meantime I am trying to light a fire in my heart. Something, anything that might inspire me, or at least distract me from my anxiety. Anxiety is the worst, maybe worse than depression even. It’s like a heavy weight inside my chest, like a pressure I can’t relieve. And that pressure pushes up into my head, and all I do is think about all the things I …

Creative Prompt Day 1 – I Dare You!

Hello All! Today is the first day of the June prompts.  First let me say, that anyone can participate in this project.  You do not have to do every single day, we all get busy and I know how hard it can be – BUT – these do not have to be huge works of art, or time consuming projects!  The point of these prompts is to get the juices flowing.  For most of us, a ‘blank page’ is the most daunting thing we can possibly face.  When there are too many options, too much potential, we freeze up and don’t know which way to move. These prompts serve as just the little bit of direction you may need to do something, anything really!  Because the point is to think about life creatively, to open ourselves up to our creative purpose.  I truly believe that creativity is at the core of self discovery.  What can we find in ourselves through simple acts of creativity? So I dare you to give it a try. I think …