darren r hill

the creative minimalist

  • What Perfectionism Has Actually Cost Me

    Discover how perfectionism silently undermines creativity and confidence. Learn to break free from the perfectionism loop and start sharing imperfect work today.

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  • Stop Waiting for a Free Afternoon: Why 20 Minutes Is Enough to Create

    Stop waiting for perfect conditions. Discover how 20-minute creative sessions, powered by distributed practice and the Zeigarnik effect, can boost focus, skills, and consistent output.

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  • Copying Isn’t Cheating. It’s How Creativity Starts.

    Copying isn’t a failure of creativity—it’s where it begins. From Hunter S. Thompson typing out novels to The Beatles covering their heroes, imitation is how we absorb influences and make them our own. Master the mechanism first; originality grows from there.

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  • The Mistake I Made Trying to Sound Professional

    Discover why chasing perfection stifles creativity. Embrace rough drafts, volume, and imperfection to develop your authentic voice and bridge the creative gap. #Creativity #Art #perfectionism

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  • Why Fewer Tools Makes You a Faster Creative

    Discover why mastering fewer creative tools boosts speed and productivity. Learn how familiarity accelerates flow, reduces cognitive load, and unlocks deeper creativity. Focus on depth over breadth to compound skill, streamline workflows, and make your tools disappear so the work can truly begin.

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  • The Next Tool Won’t Fix It: Why More Gear Doesn’t Make Better Creative Work

    There’s a moment that we all, as creative people know: we’re stuck, and we start to think the problem is the gear I have. But the creative tools you already have are almost certainly enough. So why do we want more? Why do we think the creative fix is in the new shiny?

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  • Waiting – Friday Fiction Writing Prompt

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

    I was waiting. It seemed like forever. How much longer? Friday Fiction Writing Prompt concerning waiting

    I was waiting. It seemed like forever. How much longer?

    Writing Prompt Expanded

    It’s time to delve into our emotions with this week’s Friday Fiction Writing Prompt. We’re waiting for something. It can be anything, the choice, as always, is yours. Being able to explain and describe emotions is a vital way to connect the reader with our characters.

    The prompt is designed to make you explore the emotions felt whilst waiting.

    • What is going through your mind as you wait?
    • Do your feelings have a physical manifestation?
    • Does the waiting bring up memories from the past?

    The setting and reason for waiting can be anything. You have complete freedom to simply explore and write about the emotions and feelings your character is going through. This one is a little close to home for me at the moment. I’m waiting on quite a few things so have plenty of emotions and feelings to draw upon. The challenge is to craft these into new and original descriptions, avoid the cliches and make sure I keep the fiction separate from the fact. Time to write… Well, what are you waiting for?

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

    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

  • My November Journal and Planner set-up

    My November journal and planner set-up - images of my journals

    My November Journal and Planner set-up. A walk through my planners, journals and other creative bits and pieces. My current set-up this November is a mashup of Bullet Journals, daily journals and junk journals. Oh, and I am also using Things on the computer to keep track of digital projects. It seems my journey to journal simplicity is taking a circuitous route. Please join me on my creative adventure by subscribing to my YouTube channel or blog, and please let me know what you think and how you plan and journal in the comments. Stay safe and well x

  • The missing purse – Friday Fiction Writing Prompt

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

    ‘I reached into my bag for my purse/wallet but it wasn’t there! How would I pay?’ Friday Fiction Writing Prompt

    ‘I reached into my bag for my purse/wallet but it wasn’t there! How would I pay?’

    Writing Prompt Expanded

    This week’s Friday Fiction Writing Prompt is all about getting out of a sticky situation. It’s about crafting a narrative; overcoming a conflict and reaching a resolution. In fact, you could say this is what a ‘traditional’ piece of fiction always does.

    You are somewhere, let’s say a restaurant, which means you have already partaken of the service, and you need to pay. However, the means of payment, your purse or wallet is missing. What are you going to do? You need to think quickly and come up with a solution.

    In addition, what has happened to the missing item? Is it a simple case of forgetting to pick it up, or is there something a little more riveting going on?

    When we write fiction, we can write ourselves into a cul-de-sac, a dead end. Our main character, or another vital person, has been written into a situation they need to get out of. It wasn’t really intended, but the muse led us down that particular path. We could just erase or delete those 100, 200, 500 or more words? Or we can craft and write our way out. That’s what this prompt is there for.

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

    Original vintage image by Vinson Tan ( 楊 祖 武 ) 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

  • Seeking myself

    I seem to be struggling with a few things at the moment.

    • So much I want to say, yet can’t.
    • So much I want to do, yet can’t.

    And all the reasons I can’t are out of my hands, out of my control. And I am finding it far too easy to focus on those negatives. And when I focus on the negatives I don’t say or do what I can. I wallow. I lose myself. It’s a downward spiral I have to avoid.

    Thankfully there is art, there is journaling and there are my soundscapes and lyrics. I just have to find myself amongst the detritus of current circumstances. My future will be different.

    The path is ahead of me is all I have ever wanted and desired. As the sun rises and crosses the heavens, so I follow my path.

  • The postmark – Friday Fiction Writing Prompt

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

    I recognised the sender’s postmark. But why contact me now, and in this old, traditional way? Friday Fiction Writing Prompt

    I recognised the sender’s postmark. But why contact me now, and in this old, traditional way?

    Writing Prompt Expanded

    This Friday Fiction Writing Prompt is all about the reveal. The narrator has received a letter. The postmark means they know or have a pretty good idea, who it is from. There is history between the narrator and the sender, but the reader obviously doesn’t know what this is.

    The writing prompt is about revealing that history. It could be anything, from a dark, frightening event that darkened their past to something more mysterious through to happier times that were somehow lost. The choice, as always is yours.

    The challenge, how you reveal that information, is also yours. Does it pour out immediately, or little by little as you read what has been written? The prompt uses a letter. This mode of communication slows things down, it is more deliberate than a text message or email. And, there might just be a prompt using digital communication on its way another day.

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

    Original envelope image by 2211438 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

  • In rainbows

    Rainbow colours
    in rainbows

    I found a rainbow laying around on the floor so I captured it.