the creative minimalist

Creativity

Shade – Weekly Creative Prompt

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It’s time for another weekly creative prompt. These weekly prompts are to give me, and anyone else who wants to join in, some focus to our creative work.

The first creative prompt was ‘light’ and this week’s prompt is related. We see colour because of light. And light enables us to see colour in all its varieties, which leads me to the prompt.

This week’s creative prompt word is:

Shade — a colour, especially about how light or dark it is or as distinguished from one nearly like it

there are other meanings, but I loved the idea of something being distinguished from another nearly like it

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 ‘shade’ written on the board above my computer. I am confident it will inspire me on my creative journey this week. At the very least, it will remind me that things are rarely black and white, there are colours and there is shade.

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.

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Hope – Weekly Creative Prompt

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I’ll be honest, the first weekly creative prompt and all the surrounding thinking, from here, didn’t really happen. I managed to let it inspire my Wordless Wednesday but beyond that, there was no music and no real writing. However, I’m not one to give up so soon, so as we move into the second week of 2021 we have a second weekly creative prompt.

I’m going to remain positive, both with the concept and with the prompt. There is far too much negative thought and energy around at the moment. Therefore, the prompt shouldn’t take you, or me, down any darkened alleyways of despair — although creative expression knows no barriers. We can at least begin positively.

This week’s creative prompt word is:

“hope” — a feeling of expectation and desire for a particular thing to happen…

and the thesaurus adds… an aspiration, desire, wish, expectation, ambition, aim, plan, dream, daydream, longing, yearning, craving, hankering…

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 have ‘hope’ written on the board above my computer. I am confident it will inspire me on my creative journey this week. At the very least, it will remind me that there is more to life than the current events shared on the news.

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

Weekly creative prompts for 2021

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I want to make 2021 the most creative year of my life. My word for the year, if you’ve watched my vlog is ‘connect’ and the first step in many of my goals and dreams for the year is to create. Now 2020 has been difficult for us all in many ways. For me, I have struggled to maintain focus and that has impacted my creativity. I have struggled to start, work through and finish a whole host of creative projects.

One thing I have managed to do is keep posting the Friday Fiction Writing Prompts #ffwp. And that got me thinking. Could I expand the idea of prompts and use it to both my own and anyone else who is interested, benefit? So, I am going to share a weekly creative prompt. I’ll be using the prompt to inspire and guide my creativity, and to focus on some blog posts.

I am sure the prompts will evolve over the year but the intention is to keep them simple. This is an experiment, so I’ll see how it goes. I am hoping it won’t feel too prescriptive, I don’t like prescriptive, or rules or must dos… perhaps that’s why I’ve struggled creatively. So, we’ll see if this makes any difference. And, like all the prompts and ideas I share they are open to your interpretation.

Let the prompts 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’ll give a prompt, just one word each week, that we can use as a foundation for whatever art we want to create. I’ll share what I am creating and how it has helped or hindered, what I am working on. There will also be expanded fiction writing prompts each week and other posts.

As 2020 has passed, and we are trying to be a little optimistic for 2021, the first prompt seemed to choose itself. Of course, it is possible that it will lead you down darker pathways…

This week’s creative prompt word is:

“light”

I’ll add additional posts relating to the prompt through the week so do subscribe to stay in the loop.

This isn’t a ‘challenge’ but the prompts can be used that way if you want. And 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

Creative field notes from the creative minimalist

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The incense fell straight and created these columns as it burned. Little creative accidents are nice when they occur. But creativity can also involve hard work and effort. In a bid to both motivate and make myself accountable, I thought it was time for some creative field notes. What exactly am I creating?

Website(s)

This past week I have been updating and creating websites. You should see a few changes here as I begin to roll out the changes. I have tried various designs over the years but, for this site – and quite rightly too – I find myself returning to a simple minimal feel.

This Temple Eden is also going through a few changes. This is taking a little longer to roll out, but you will be able to find things easier and quicker in the near future.

Waoao (freelance) has partly prompted these changes. I am working on simplifying and creating a couple of websites in a freelance capacity. This has meant going back to basics whilst keeping up with the ever-changing technology of the web. If you’re thinking of setting up a website and don’t know where to start, drop me a comment and I’ll get back to you. I offer a friendly service and tech talk-free solutions.

Music

This past week I finished the first draft of lyrics to a song that is now called ‘The Sun and the Moon’. I’m letting the lyrics settle for a while and will then work on an arrangement and get some recording done.

I have a couple of other tracks in progress and they are going well.

The music I have completed is available on Spotify and Apple Music, and Bandcamp. My Bandcamp site is still offering hours of music for the price of a couple of cups of coffee. And on September 4th Bandcamp are waiving their fees for artists to help during the pandemic. So if you want a little music, feel free to purchase and enjoy.

I still don’t quite feel like I have my song collection organised. I have it all in a database at the moment. However, I feel like I need to go old school with it all and use index cards. Will something tactile help me create more music, or am I just procrastinating again? That’s always possible.

Writing fiction

Well, let’s put it this way, I haven’t been. I could blame the virus but I don’t think it is that. It is more a question of time and priorities. I have been posting the writing prompts here and there will be more writing tips to follow. In conclusion…

‘Not blocked, just not’

darrenrhill

Journal

I have moved into a more visual journey in my journal and planner. I am sharing this process regularly on YouTube and cross-posting here. If you haven’t visited my YouTube channel, here’s the link and if you want, I would appreciate your subscription. And any stickers I use in my journals might be found on my pLAnarchy Etsy store, so do check that out.

So that’s the state of the creative minimalist as August draws to an end. There are plenty of other things I would like to share with you, but they need to wait for a later post. In the meantime, I need to get going with my freelance work, making some music and seeing if my fingers want to type a little fiction.

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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Getting trapped in the Traps

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Getting trapped in traps and image of crag pots

There are many kinds of trap. Traps are used to capture something. They could trap an animal, like those in the image. They could trap humans, both foolish and wise. They could capture measurements and be completely benign.

Traps we fall into.
Traps we deliberately trigger.
Traps set by others.
Traps set by ourselves.

There are traps that we can avoid if we see them and if we choose. There are traps that give us comfort, places we know too well.

There are traps. Then there is trapped.

… and trapped is bad.

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