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The Sun in a Flower on a Wordless Wednesday

March 24, 2022 by Darren Leave a Comment

bright yellow flower amongst the grass

It felt like this one flower had captured the radiance of the sun… and just realised I posted this on a Thursday.


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

Filed Under: Photography Tagged With: flower, iPhone, photo, sun, Wordless Wednesday, yellow

Tangle Weekly creative prompt

March 20, 2022 by Darren Leave a Comment

tangle weekly creative prompt over an image of tangles roots

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

It was a mess, distinct yet entangled. It needed sorting. @darrenrhill fiction 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

Filed Under: Creativity Tagged With: creative prompt, ideas, journal prompt, prompt, weekly creative prompt, writing prompt

Reflect Weekly creative prompt

March 13, 2022 by Darren Leave a Comment

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

Life flashed before her/his eyes. As time subjectively stretched, she/he reflected on a life... fiction writing prompt @darrenrhill over an image of light reflecting on water

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

Filed Under: Creativity Tagged With: creative prompt, ideas, journal prompt, prompts, reflect, weekly creative prompt, writing prompt

Not all stone circles are ancient – Wordless Wednesday

March 9, 2022 by Darren Leave a Comment

Stone circle made of slate looking over Cumbria

I found this modern stone circle looking from on high at Honister Pass in Cumbria. Technically it is a slate circle, although there is some stone. I don’t normally say anything on these Wordless Wednesday posts, after all, that is the point, however, the marriage of ancient slate and stone laid out recently amongst the mountains created during the last ice age spoke to me. I won’t tell you what it said, I’ll just leave the image here, for those who have ears.


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

Filed Under: Photography Tagged With: cumbria, iPhone, photo, Wordless Wednesday

Incense in the air on a Wordless Wednesday

January 26, 2022 by Darren Leave a Comment

incense smoke hanging in the air

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

Filed Under: Photography Tagged With: incense, iPhone, smoke, Wordless Wednesday

Fluff flower on a Wordless Wednesday

January 12, 2022 by Darren Leave a Comment

I found some flowers turned to fluff… new life will soon arrive.


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

Filed Under: Photography Tagged With: flower, iPhone, photoshop, tree, Wordless Wednesday

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