Day 4 prompt for a creative pause
Day 4 Prompt
Draw & write. Something you asked for and did not receive. (Do you still want it?)
Notes: pen & watercolour; songs: “Basement Apartment” by Sarah Harmer and “Atlantic,” by The Weather Station. The text reads a bit like a series of grievances, which was not where I’d originally imagined this going. But I got somewhere interesting. The final scrawl on the page reads: I asked to not have to ask — and that did not happen.
xo, Carrie
Day 3 prompt for a creative pause
Day 3 Prompt
Draw & write. Gratitude dump!
Notes: I don’t like the phrasing I’ve decided to use here, but oh well. I went with it, and just dumped a random assortment of images and words onto the page, rather late in the day, to be honest. Songs: “Runnin’ Down A Dream,” by Tom Petty and “Love is Love,” by Grace Potter. Materials: pencil crayons and black pen.
xo, Carrie
Day 2 prompt for a creative pause
Day 2 Prompt
Draw yourself as an animal. If this animal could talk what would it say?
Notes: Watercolour and 0.4mm fine Sharpie pen. Songs: Sweet Jane, by Cowboy Junkies and Closer, by Tegan and Sara.
xo, Carrie
Day 1 prompt for a creative pause
Day 1 Prompt
Draw & write
A conversation you had in the last 24 hours
Notes. I like to draw while listening to music. If you’re on Spotify, you can follow my “Lynda Barry playlist” (carrieannesnyder) and listen along. Today’s song is “Bye River” by Sampa the Great. The song is almost 8 minutes. After that I set a timer to write for about 5 minutes (though I got into the conversation, and wrote a bit longer, till it felt complete.)
Final thought. Please change any or all of the above elements to fit your needs, interests, available materials, and time.
xo, Carrie
Prompts to begin: ten minutes of creative pause
To begin: a summarized version of this post. December 1 – December 24, I’m planning to share a simple daily draw/write prompt, and my response to it.
Let me know if you’d like to be involved!
What you’ll need: notebook, pen, 10 minutes/day.
Read on for the longer version…
When the kids were little, I purchased an advent calendar from Ten Thousand Villages that has small pockets in which to place treats, or,—as I decided, as an ambitious young(er) mom—delightful, seasonal activities to be shared as a family. Cookie baking, dinner by candlelight, delivery treats to friends, for example. Aspirational, to be sure, and suffice it say, the only activity that actually happened with consistency was “hot chocolate for breakfast.” I’m pretty sure I gave up at some point and put chocolate coins into the pockets. Much more popular.
But a few years ago, when all the kids were still living at home (pandemic; it was cozy), we co-created family activities for the calendar—and it was genuinely successful. It only worked because we were cooped up and looking to add variety and entertainment, even on the smallest of scales, to our dull days. We scribbled ideas onto scraps of paper, which were distributed into the pockets, and every day there came a new surprise. The kids had the best ideas, of course. One favourite was to wear someone else’s clothes for the day. Another was to buy ice cream to deliver to grandparents within walking distance. We may not have succeeded in doing every single activity, but we came close, and it was fun.
This year, I’ve refilled the pockets with scraps of paper. The kids who want advent calendars will be getting chocolate/candy versions instead (honestly, it’s what they want!).
This year’s calendar is for me, and for you, and for anyone who wants to join in and play along. Every scrap of paper has a draw/write prompt on it. Call it the “creative pause” version of an Advent calendar. All you’ll need is a notebook and a pen (add in some crayons if you want to make it extra exciting). My plan is for this to be interactive so you can share with me too.
In theory, I’ll post a daily prompt, and my response to the prompt, mostly likely on Instagram… every day from Dec. 1 – Dec. 24 (though I could post it here as well if anyone requests it in the comments).
In practice, I’ll do my very best to make it so!
The prompts are not related to Advent in any obvious way. These 24 days are merely an opportunity presented and (hopefully!) taken; I already have a calendar with pockets! It’s a busy season, and the light is diminishing. Let’s see if we can find 10 minutes a day to reflect, scribble, wander through the mind, and spark a small bright fire.
xo, Carrie