Creative Journaling Prompts To Spark Your Imagination

As an artist, it’s important to be able to quickly tap into one’s creative side. One way of doing this is by using creative journaling prompts to fuel your creativity. Journaling can boost your creativity by stimulating your imagination and allowing you to connect with your emotional self. Another benefit of journaling is that it offers an organized and intentional approach to creative thinking. In addition to this, spending a few minutes to journal each week can boost your career as a creative.

Creative writing is a great warm up exercise to help artists of all mediums tap into an inspired flow state. These creative journaling prompts are intended to get the creative brain warmed-up and ready to craft. In order to get the most out of these exercises, make sure to be as descriptive as possible in your writing. Let your imagination run wild and see what you come up with!

Check out these creative journaling prompts to get the inspiration flowing!

Creative Journaling Prompts:

#1: Dream

Write about a dream that you’ve had that you found interesting. Recall as many details as you can remember about your dream. Try to make sense of who was there and what was happening. Do you think there could be a deeper meaning or psychological explanation for why you had this dream?

#2: Scent

Think about your favorite scent. Describe what it smells like – floral, fruity, woodsy, musky, etc. What memories are associated with this scent? Detail how this scent makes you feel. Who does this scent make you think of, if anyone?

#3: Historical Moment

Choose any significant event in history that resonates with you. Be as specific on the date, time, and place as possible. Then, write about that moment as if you had experienced it first hand. You may need to do some research beforehand. Detail what you did on this day in history. What were you wearing? Who were you with? What did you witness? Recount how this event made you feel. Note any sights, sounds, or smells that were associated with this event. How did this event change your life? How did it change history? Does it affect you to this day?

#4: Artwork

Think of your favorite piece of artwork, or just select a work at random, and write in detail about how it makes you feel. What emotions does this work of art elicit? Channel these emotions in your writing.

#5: Favorite Movie or Book

Rewatch or reread a movie or book you love, or one that elicits a strong emotion from you. Immediately after, journal your thoughts and how the story made you feel.

#6: Imaginary Character

Imagine you got to meet your favorite fictional character. Write about who they are and why they’re your favorite character. What about their appearance or personality appeals to you? What would you say to them? How would the two of you spend a day together?

#7: Lover

Time to get steamy! Write about a lover – this could be someone from your past, present, or someone you’d like to become a lover in the future. Or, you could even dream up who your ideal lover would be and write about them! Detail their appearance. What is it about them that makes them so intoxicating? How do they talk to you? How do they touch you? Describe how they make you feel.

#8: Heartbreak

Write about your first, or most painful, heartbreak. Who (or what) broke your heart? Detail your feelings before and after. How did this heartbreak change you? Were there any upsides or positive takeaways from this hardship?

#9: Song

Choose a song you love or listen to a song you’ve never heard before and describe how it makes you feel. You can search songs that elicit different emotions depending on what feelings you want to tap into at that moment.

#10: Quote

List a favorite quote and tell about what it means to you.

#11: Memory

Reminisce on a favorite memory and journal about it. Really try to recall as many details as possible. Can you bring to mind any sights, sounds, smells, tastes, or feelings that are associated with this memory?

#12: Season

Write about a season of the year. What things or events do you associate with this season? How does this season make you feel? Try to be as descriptive as possible about the emotions this season evokes. 

#13: Emotion

Think about a specific emotion. Some good examples could be: joy, disgust, fear, grief, rage, or anticipation. Once you have a very specific emotion, try to write about that feeling in as much detail as possible. Try to encapsulate what that emotion feels and looks like. Have you experienced this emotion yourself? What were the circumstances? How does someone experiencing this emotion act?

#14: Happy Place

If you could be anywhere in the world, where would it be? Whether you’ve actually been there and visited or not doesn’t matter. Journal about your ideal locale in as much detail as possible and why you love it so much.

#15: Time Travel

Imagine you had the ability to travel through time, either to the past or future. If you visited the past, describe the time in history and place you’d visit. Detail your experience there, who you met and what you did. If you chose to write about time traveling to the future, what year did you go to and what did it look like? What new inventions or technologies did they have? How did the people dress and behave? What changed and what stayed the same between the past/future and present?

#16: Joy List

Journal about what brings you the most joy. List the things, people, pets, places – whatever it is that makes you happy in life! Then, go ahead and describe what it is exactly that makes these things so special to you!

 

Conclusion

In conclusion, creative journaling is a great way for artists to spark their imaginations and tap into their creativity.  Artists can use writing as a useful creative exercise that can be incorporated into their crafting routines. These creative journaling prompts are a great place to start and can be referenced back to whenever you need a boost of inspiration!

Let us know in the comments which one of these creative journaling prompts is your favorite! Need more motivation? Check out these surprising, science-backed health benefits of journaling! Grab one of these cute notebooks and some journaling pens and get started writing!

 

Photo Credit: Sixteen Miles Out on Unsplash