Five Ways To Be Creative When You Don't Know Where To Begin

Aug 25, 2019

I’m not going to bore you with an introductory paragraph here. Nope, I’m going to give you the info right away because one of my peeves in life is that to get to the info I want, I have to slog through a bunch of words.

Brevity is not only the soul of wit, but the power of getting information effectively. To paraphrase a famous movie quote ... “Just show me the INFO!”

So, let’s get started. Here are five creative prompts to get you going when you don’t know where to start.


 
1. Open A Drawer 

Go over to the nearest drawer in your house, open it, and write about the contents inside. Not just a list, although that can be very creative too, tell a story about what you’re seeing. It doesn’t have to be long, just keep it spontaneous.

 

2. Doodle Around

Get a sketchbook, and with a pencil or pen, doodle around until something appears…now draw what you see. (That's what I did here) Have you ever heard of Zen Tangle? Look it up, it’s fun, easy and oh-so-great at getting you started on doodling. The art of doodling is very important in the life of a Creative. 

 
 
3. Write A Note To Self

Write a note to your older self. Tell her what you’re doing right now to make her life really wonderful in her old age. This one gets me in gear every time. I got the idea from flipping the whole notion of writing to your younger-self on its head, I find this prompt is ten-times more effective at getting my tush in gear, creatively.

 
4. Dream A View

Draw a window, now draw your dream-view through it. This is a fun way to envision your bright, beautiful future. This is how I got myself into the beautiful studios I now have…well, this exercise and a lot of swinging the hammer to get them built, but you get the idea.

 
5. Use One Continuous Line       

Draw something basic, like one apple or a pumpkin using your pencil. Do not pick-up the point of the pencil, but make your drawing in one continuous line. This is how many artists warm-up before they start drawing or painting. It's called

 Contour Drawing. The exercise sends a signal to the left side of your brain that the right needs to take over and run the show for a while.

 I’ve used all these prompts through the years and they work like magic. Go ahead, give it a try and let me know if they work for you too. And if you like this, sign up for my Sunday ArtWord Newsletter filled with all sorts of creative ideas.