Posts Tagged ‘creativity’
Creative Fuel: A New Podcast About the Intersection of Creativity and Our Everyday Lives
This week marks the launch of Creative Fuel, a new podcast that I am making with my good friend Gale Straub.
Creative Fuel is all about the intersection of creativity and our everyday lives, and it’s also part of a larger platform launch of Creative Fuel Collective. If you recognize the name, it’s because all of this has stemmed from the newsletter that I have written for several years called Creative Fuel. I have enjoyed exploring the topic of creativity there, and I am thrilled to branch out and bring that to life in audio.
It has been such a wonderful creative challenge to collaborate with Gale on this (you may already know Gale’s work from her podcast She Explores). In each episode we lead with a question, like “How do we get through hard times?” or “How do we connect with each other?” or “How do we spend time alone?” Through the episode, and with the help of creatives and researchers, we work through the answers and the many ways creativity winds its way through.
In our first episode we ask: “do we need newness for creativity?” The episode features writer Amanda Machado and neuroscientist and artist Christine Liu. There’s also a little cameo by artist Kashmir Thompson in our Big Cartel midroll ad. We are so grateful to Big Cartel (which is the platform I use for my shop) for trusting this idea and helping to support the first season, which is hopefully the first of many.
You can find the show wherever you listen to podcasts, but here are a few easy links: podcast website, Apple Podcasts, and Spotify.
If you like the episode, I would be thrilled if you subscribed, left a review, or shared it with a friend.
2022 Words for Creating and Being: September
New month, new prompts in the 2022 Words for Creating and Being series.
Use them as creative prompts, use them as a starting point for conversation, use them for contemplation. See where they lead.
1. ask
2. hidden
3. inside
4. memory
5. contour
6. outlandish
7. thicken
8. sit
9. borrow
10. rough
11. slide
12. shallow
13. mend
14. plot
15. attune
16. silence
17. alive
18. stream
19. entice
20. conscious
21. gratitude
22. infuse
23. possibility
24. flutter
25. limitless
26. sharpen
27. pattern
28. pursue
29. straighten
30. prove
//
What happens when we sit with a word? When we unpack it? When we investigate every single letter? When we consider what’s behind the definition? That’s what these words are for. They are intended to create space for contemplation, they are an ask for you to invest time in the creative process in all of its forms.
You can find previous monthly lists of prompts here.
As always, these monthly prompts and a lot of my other work are made possible thanks to supporters on Patreon.
2022 Words for Creating and Being: August
New month, new prompts in the 2022 Words for Creating and Being series.
Use them as creative prompts, use them as a starting point for conversation, use them for contemplation. They may spark something, or they may sit and marinate. Let them be whatever they need to be.
//
1. edge
2. voyage
3. partner
4. curiosity
5. repair
6. flourish
7. learn
8. facilitate
9. opposite
10. emotion
11. situate
12. make
13. offering
14. challenge
15. help
16. excite
17. participate
18. observe
19. lush
20. improve
21. empathize
22. conspire
23. thrill
24. project
25. momentum
26. brighten
27. behold
28. prepare
29. interact
30. lethargic
31. believe
What happens when we sit with a word? When we unpack it? When we investigate every single letter? When we consider what’s behind the definition? That’s what these words are for. They are intended to create space for contemplation, they are an ask for you to invest time in the creative process in all of its forms.
You can find previous monthly lists of prompts here.
As always, these monthly prompts and a lot of my other work are made possible thanks to supporters on Patreon.
2022 Words for Creating and Being: July
New month, new prompts in the 2022 Words for Creating and Being series.
Use them as creative prompts, use them as a starting point for conversation, use them simply for contemplation. Put them in your mind and let them rest there. See what they bloom into.
1. luminous
2. community
3. sustain
4. pivot
5. foster
6. scout
7. stand
8. meander
9. juxtapose
10. contribute
11. convene
12. navigate
13. admire
14. enliven
15. encourage
16. energize
17. rewind
18. permit
19. transcend
20. invisible
21. exhale
22. peek
23. inspect
24. smooth
25. galvanize
26. imperfection
27. mirror
28. contextualize
29. access
30. sing
31. stillness
What happens when we sit with a word? When we unpack it? When we investigate every single letter? When we consider what’s behind the definition? That’s what these words are for. They are intended to create space for contemplation, they are an ask for you to invest time in the creative process in all of its forms.
You can find previous monthly lists of prompts here.
As always, these monthly prompts and a lot of my other work are made possible thanks to supporters on Patreon.
2022 Words for Creating and Being: June
New month, new prompts in the 2022 Words for Creating and Being series.
These are words for contemplation, words for action, words for creativity. They can be a starting point for a drawing, a poem, a painting, a song. Or use them to spark a conversation, or something to contemplate while out on a walk.
1. shift
2. beauty
3. search
4. nurture
5. crossroads
6. burrow
7. establish
8. scent
9. tide
10. embolden
11. scour
12. mesh
13. essence
14. moonlight
15. imbibe
16. engage
17. enter
18. diminish
19. weave
20. layer
21. transition
22. inhale
23. magnify
24. evolve
25. balance
26. bloom
27. current
28. elaborate
29. spread
30. gather
What happens when we sit with a word? When we unpack it? When we investigate every single letter? When we consider what’s behind the definition? That’s what these words are for. They are intended to create space for contemplation, they are an ask for you to invest time in the creative process in all of its forms.
You can find previous monthly lists of prompts here.
As always, these monthly prompts and a lot of my other work are made possible thanks to supporters on Patreon.
2022 Words for Creating and Being: May
New month, new prompts in the 2022 Words for Creating and Being series.
These are words for contemplation, words for action, words for creativity. Use them as you see fit. Use them as a starting point for a drawing, a poem, a painting, a song. Use them to spark something. Use them as a question, use them for contemplation.
1. dream
2. rest
3. forage
4. speak
5. dig
6. appear
7. watch
8. wonder
9. trust
10. limit
11. wild
12. deliver
13. seek
14. investigate
15. flow
16. branch
17. commence
18. try
19. blend
20. identify
21. force
22. savor
23. germinate
24. thrive
25. ripen
26. explore
27. question
28. lengthen
29. glimmer
30. burst
31. delve
What happens when we sit with a word? When we unpack it? When we investigate every single letter? When we consider what’s behind the definition? That’s what these words are for. They are intended to create space for contemplation, they are an ask for you to invest time in the creative process in all of its forms.
You can find previous monthly lists of prompts here.
As always, these monthly prompts and a lot of my other work are made possible thanks to supporters on Patreon.
2022 Words for Creating and Being: April
New month, new prompts in the 2022 Words for Creating and Being series.
These are words for contemplation, words for action, words for creativity. Use them as you see fit. Use them as a starting point, use them as a mantra. Use them to spark something. Use them as a question, use them as an intention.
//
1. laugh
2. allow
3. involve
4. appreciate
5. proceed
6. lean
7. rebuild
8. awaken
9. center
10. release
11. puddle
12. commit
13. plan
14. resume
15. discover
16. refine
17. journey
18. grow
19. find
20. stumble
21. alter
22. strengthen
23. articulate
24. perceive
25. control
26. arrange
27. clarify
28. attention
29. stir
30. change
What happens when we sit with a word? When we unpack it? When we investigate every single letter? When we consider what’s behind the definition? That’s what these words are for. They are intended to create space for contemplation, they are an ask for you to invest time in the creative process in all of its forms.
You can find previous monthly lists of prompts here.
As always, these monthly prompts and a lot of my other work are made possible thanks to supporters on Patreon.
2022 Words for Creating and Being: March
New month, new prompts in the 2022 Words for Creating and Being series.
Words for contemplation, words for action, words for creativity.
I know that things are heavy right now. Which is even more reason for us to take time to be present, to think, to connect, to create.
1. pause
2. feel
3. immerse
4. focus
5. grace
6. respond
7. decide
8. resistance
9. see
10. root
11. open
12. revive
13. forge
14. voice
15. support
16. plunge
17. contemplate
18. there
19. amend
20. emerge
21. choose
22. trim
23. expand
24. notice
25. connect
26. intertwine
27. invite
28. revitalize
29. transform
30. struggle
31. adapt
What happens when we sit with a word? When we unpack it? When we investigate every single letter? When we consider what’s behind the definition? That’s what these words are for. They are intended to create space for contemplation, they are an ask for you to invest time in the creative process in all of its forms.
You can find previous monthly lists of prompts here.
As always, these monthly prompts and a lot of my other work are made possible thanks to supporters on Patreon.
2022 Words for Creating and Being: February
New month, new prompts.
This is the second month of 2022 Words for Creating and Being (here are the ones from January). As opposed to last year when I made more specific prompts, a single word offers a little more room for interpretation. They can be for drawing, for writing, or simply for contemplating.
Let the word sit with you for the day. Say it out loud, feel it on your tongue, hold it in your head. Then see where it leads you.
1. here
2. ground
3. answer
4. become
5. return
6. infinite
7. cloud
8. peel
9. uncover
10. approach
11. ramble
12. grip
13. deviate
14. kind
15. rise
16. resolve
17. tend
18. glide
19. remove
20. stretch
21. abundance
22. align
23. begin
24. build
25. dedicate
26. shadow
27. complete
28. radiate
What happens when we sit with a word? When we unpack it? When we investigate every single letter? When we consider what’s behind the definition? That’s what these words are for. They are intended to create space for contemplation, they are an ask for you to invest time in the creative process in all of its forms.
You can find previous monthly lists of prompts here.
As always, these monthly prompts and a lot of my other work are made possible thanks to supporters on Patreon.
2022 Words for Creating and Being: January
New year, new prompts!
Last year I put together monthly lists of creativity prompts. They were mostly intended as drawing prompts but they worked as writing prompts too.
I wanted to continue this year but felt that drawing prompts could often be a little prescriptive. Creative plays a role in my daily life, but I am personally not someone who does well with strict daily routines. I wanted some kind of prompt that felt a little more open to interpretation.
Enter the 2022 Words for Creating and Being.
Creativity isn’t passive—creativity requires action. Most of all, creativity requires curiosity and contemplation.
Modern society doesn’t always provide a lot of space for that, and if we are seeking to be more creative this is an excellent place to start. To kick off the year, I read Pico Iyer’s The Art of Stillness and this stood out:
“It’s easy to feel as if we’re standing two inches away from a huge canvas that’s noisy and crowded and changing with every microsecond. It’s only by stepping farther back and standing still that we begin to see what that canvas (which is our life) really means, and to take in the larger picture.”
So these monthly lists of words will be a space for doing that. Use them as a springboard for writing, for drawing, or just for thinking. Take the word to paper with a pencil. Take the word with you on a walk and ponder. Share the word and see what conversation it sparks. These words are intended to create space for contemplation, they are an ask for you to invest time in the creative process in all of its forms.
I didn’t launch this list on January 1st. There’s so much pressure on the first day of the year to start something new. I think we need a pause before we begin, a little extra breathing room. So that’s what … is for.
//
1. …
2. presence
3. exist
4. quiet
5. solitude
6. exchange
7. rejuvenate
8. dull
9. absorb
10. wind
11. howl
12. extend
13. breathe
14. befriend
15. capture
16. collaborate
17. dark
18. cultivate
19. hope
20. plan
21. consider
22. reflection
23. unearth
24. deepen
25. marinate
26. beam
27. ignite
28. expression
29. renew
30. arrive
31. create
We spend our lives surrounded (and sometimes inundated) by words. We read books, we have conversations, we write emails, we scan headlines. But how often do we really spend time contemplating them? Time holding a word, turning it on its head, considering it means and what we want it to mean?
I can’t wait to see what spending stillness with some words will lead to.
You can find previous monthly lists of prompts here.
As always, these monthly prompts and a lot of my other work are made possible thanks to supporters on Patreon.
anna brones 