Creative Prompts & Beyond

Searching for creative prompts!?
🌈🍄🐰

Prompts are tools for generating ideas and can be an integral part of your creative process. Ahead, a list of prompts to use as starting points for collage, mixed media art, drawing, art journaling, and writing stories. ▶️ Just push play! First, I thought it might be helpful to discuss the value & benefit of using prompts. Next, a list of 163+ prompts to explore, categorized into different series. Explore and find a series that resonates with you. This would make a great start to the new year!

Why should you use prompts?

The process of interpreting a prompt can help your idea generation skills. Prompts are a valuable part of a creative toolkit.

  1. Practice finding creative solutions

  2. Find connections/links between seemingly unrelated concepts

  3. Generate fresh ideas

  4. Spark artistic and creative explorations

  5. Launch experiments (i.e. What if?)

  6. Get through a creative rut or block

  7. Warm-up activity

  8. Jump through the “blank page” stage

  9. A constraint gives you something to work with

  10. Low-risk creative activity

“Constraints shape and focus problems and provide clear challenges to overcome.”
Peter Sims

Visualize a prompt as a STARTING POINT — remind yourself that there is no right/wrong answer — the idea is to use the prompt to get you into the mode of creating. You’ll go wherever the path leads.

When I was little, I collected quotes in a lined journal (now I keep track in Evernote). I love sentence fragments + interesting descriptions + words used in witty or novel ways. I’m always on the lookout for words, words, words. The process of crafting | building a series of prompts for other people to enjoy — narrowing down possibilities and evaluating what makes a good prompt — is fun. There are all sorts of prompts & cues — to me a good prompt provides a constraint that opens up a variety of interpretations. Constraints give us something to work with!

how to use creative & writing prompts?

  1. When faced with a prompt, get the wheels spinning by generating connections. For example, take the word or phrase and think about connotations, definitions, related words, synonyms & antonyms.

  2. Allow the prompt word/phrase to fuel or be a catalyst for fun explorations.

  3. Let potential solutions percolate. It can feel like solving a puzzle! I enjoy the acrobatics of "figuring out" what to do. Maybe because I’m analytical — I love brainstorming the "what-if's" and conceptualizing possibilities.

  4. Make something tangible* — flash fiction (type your response or write on an index card), art journal page, collage, small format art, collage, diagram, painting, illustration, sketch, etc.

Here’s a post about prompts that I shared at the beginning of the Index-Card-a-Day Challenge this year.

Prompts can help jump through the "blank page" phase and just get to the fun part of making something! They’ll help you burst through creative blocks and start creating.

I should mention that if you find prompts frustrating (or uninspiring or boring or limiting), know that they do not need to be part of your creative process. Maybe they are associated with school assignments — rubrics and essays or responses graded and judged by teachers. Assignments requiring an outline, a particular sentence structure, format, spacing, citations, etc. That’s understandable. But perhaps you will surprise yourself. it could be helpful to scatter prompts into your week (start with a few here and there) especially when feeling blocked.

*If you don't feel energized to make something physical/tangible, it is still possible to write down a list of ways to interpret a particular prompt. The act of generating ideas is of value!!! Another option is to write your response on an index card or type your interpretation.

Wonder31 Prompts (31)

A series of words/phrases. You can find my interpretations of 20+ of these prompts — maybe that will spark an idea for you? Start with Wonder31 #1: Minimal.

Mix & Match Prompts (15)

A set designed for mixed media lovers & art journalists. Select a prompt from 1st column and a technique/tool from 2nd column and go! These are meant to be savored and interpreted over several art sessions. Interpret on paper, index card, journal, etc. perhaps working on several at once.

Carousel30 Prompts Set One & Set Two (60)

A series of words/phrases. Interpret on paper, index card & journal. Collage, sketch, repeating patterns, hand-lettering, mixed media, flash fiction, doodle, art journal, portraits, poetry, etc.

Catchphrase Prompts (26)

A series of word-centric prompts to inspire you to creatively weave words into 26 art journal pages or index cards.

Daisy Yellow creative prompt cards. An eclectic mixture of words and my colorful artwork. Simply play BINGO (or roll 🎲) to select an array of 5 phrases. You could create interpret a prompt by creating an art journal page, short story, sketch, doodle, collage, etc. These inviting little cards would make a delightful gift-to-self or a creative friend!

Resources & further reading

Developing Writing Prompts (University of Connecticut) includes a discussion on how to develop prompts and types of prompts (i.e. discussion prompts, narrative prompts, expository prompts, and persuasive prompts).