Occasionally I’ll find myself in a creative funk, just staring at the blank, white page of my journal, without a clue as to what to fill it with. When I’m feeling most creative, I’ll grab a sheet of paper and jot down ideas to use later when the creative ideas come to a halt. I thought perhaps you’d find some use in one of my lists so here it is. Do with it as you wish. You can pick and choose on the days when a little inspiration is in order, or you can turn it into a 40 day art journal challenge. The choice is yours.
- Choose a lyric from one of your favorite songs and bring it to life on a page.
- Go crazy with masking tape!
- Reduce, Reuse, Recycle- scoop up junk mail, paper bags, paper scraps, fabric scraps, WHATEVER, and use these things to create a background, then go nuts with color.
- Journal about something or someone that inspires you.
- Paste a photograph that brings back a good memory to your page and design around it.
- Footprints.
- Turn found objects into stamps. A few good ones would be: an empty toilet paper roll, bubble wrap (if you can resist popping the bubbles!), crumpled paper, the sole of a shoe… The options are endless!
- Pick one word, any word. Include it in your entry.
- Illustrate what change looks like to you.
- Silhouette(s).
- Happy vs. sad.
- Draw a map of a made up place you’d like to visit/live.
- Go outside, sketch, paint, draw, or doodle whatever you see in front of you.
- Grab a few magazines and cut out your perfect outfit. Journal about where you’d wear it to, how it would make you feel…
- Create an abstract painting of the room you’re in.
- Fingerprints.
- If you were on death row, what would your last meal be? How would you spend your day? (A bit morbid, but just go with it!)
- Practice painting or drawing letters in a new font you’ve never tried before.
- Burned paper.
- Opposite hand. Created a page using your less dominant hand. If you’re ambidextrous, use the hand you use less often.
- Circle madness.
- Don’t think, just do. Just slap some paint down and go to town.
- Playing with patterns.
- A special someone. Journal about someone who you love dearly.
- Collage.
- The alphabet.
- Choose a song that reminds you of a dark time and bring it to life on the page.
- Get rid of it. Got something bothering you? Spill it out onto your journal page and leave it there.
- Tea art. Splash it, spill it, drip it, blob it… Create a background using your tea.
- What would you do if you hit the lottery?
- These are a few of my favorite things.
- Create a bridge leading from where you are now, and where you want to be.
- Bad habits.
- Create a self portrait.
- A picture is worth a thousand words.
- Pick a quote.
- Draw a tree and replace the leaves with random objects/doodles.
- Write down all of the things you dislike about yourself then cover it up with gesso, and write down all of the things you like about yourself.
- Design a room that would inspire you just being in it.
- Childhood memories.