Inspiration journal prompts

15 Inspiring Journal Prompts to Try Tonight

If you’ve ever cracked open a self-help book or fallen into a wellness rabbit hole on Instagram, you’ll know that journaling often tops the list of ways to feel more connected to yourself and those around you. And while you may know the benefits of journaling, getting yourself to put pen to paper on any type of regular basis is tough. Which is exactly why we’ve put together this list of creative journal prompts to help get the words flowing onto the page, and to get to know yourself a little better in the process.

There’s a reason why many of us take up journaling as teens as we search for who we are in the midst of hormone shifts and changing environments.

Getting our feelings out on paper can help us process thoughts, deepening our understanding of ourselves and our place in the world around us. These 15 creative journal prompts keep that sense of self-discovery in mind – but don’t require you do drag up and examine the same painful memories or sore subjects each time you sit down to write. Instead, they are meant to be topics you can explore every day, in as little as 5 minutes. So find a quiet spot, pull out your notebook, and get writing.

image by kristen kilpatrick

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image by ashley kane

Connecting with Yourself

If you’re unsure about where to start journaling, prompts that encourage you to connect with yourself are always a great way to get your juices flowing. The key here — as with all journaling exercises, really — is to be as honest as possible. Now is not the time to sugar-coat or dress up your feelings to make others more comfortable. Listen to what your mind and heart is telling you, and start to process what both are saying on the page.

Write about a moment you experienced through your body.
How do you spend your time? How do you want to be spending your time? What’s stopping you from doing so?
What three things could you let go that would give you more time, energy, and peace?
What are the questions you need answers to?
How can you be kinder to yourself today?
When was the last time you stopped yourself from speaking up? What held you back in that moment?

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image by susanna howe for domino

Connecting with Others

It’s no secret that we often feel lost when our connections with the people around us are frayed. So these prompts are all designed to help you evaluate the connections you’re actively making each and every day — the good, the bad, and the ugly included. Once you have a clear picture of how the people in your life are affecting you, and the type of interactions you feel the most fulfilled by, you’ll be able to make the positive changes you need to feel more meaningfully connected to everyone you meet.

List 3-5 of the people you spend the most time with. How are they effecting you? How do they influence your life?
Who do you envy in life? What’s holding you back from achieving what they have?
What are the qualities you value most in your relationships? Who in your life has those qualities?

What does the word community mean to you? Who comes to mind when you think about your community?

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image by jenny sathngam

Connecting with the World Around You

Journaling is often about embracing the thoughts racing around in your brain, and quieting your mind by physically organizing them on paper. But we don’t always have the energy to tackle those messy thoughts and feelings, and that’s totally okay. So when you need a break from — well — you, focus instead on connecting to the environment you live in. These creative journal prompts are all designed to help you notice the little things, whether it be the way clean sheets smell or that favorite patch of flowers in your neighborhood, so you can feel less swept up by the big things going on in your life.

Describe 3 small instances of beauty you witnessed today.
What about your environment inspires you? What can you do to invite more of that in?
When was the last time you really noticed the space around you? Bring that space to life here.
Where is your favorite place in the world? What makes it so great?
If you could live anywhere, where would it be? Why?

22 Powerful Journal Prompts to Increase Your Motivation, and Discover Your Unique Purpose | by Sarah Cy

Photo by Easton Oliver on Unsplash

Tired of being stuck in a meaningless slump or on a confusing plateau?

Want to take some time and think about it, maybe write it out in a journal, but don’t know where to start?

Journaling has been lauded for its ability to help people reach their goals, clear their heads, heal from trauma…and act like mental windshield wipers, cleaning the junk from our minds.

Taking the time to write can help us clarify what we truly believe, and maybe even figure out our life purpose.

The following journal prompts are designed to help you clarify your thoughts, perspective, and desires. They are organized into four overarching categories:

Who are you?
What do you want?
What do you know/think you know/want to know?
What is your unique purpose?

Each prompt or group of prompts also comes with a brief explanation of why it was included.

And at the end of this article, there are some suggestions on how to use/get the most out of these prompts.

So without further ado, I give you…

1. List the 5 people you spend the most time with, why, and how they’re affecting you — your behaviors, your thoughts, your life.
2. List the top 5 people you admire, and why.
3. Who is your favorite person in all the world and why?

You are a summation of the people you spend the most time with. So it’s important to be conscientious of who we choose to spend time with.

And “spend time with” includes the time we “spend with” people we watch on TV, people we read about, or people whose works (books, articles, youtube videos) we consume.

Who among these people do you admire most, and why? What are ways you can spend more time with the people you want most to be like? (For ex: Desmond Doss is one of my personal heroes because of his integrity, courage, and kindness)

4. What is your favorite song/musical piece and why?
5. Or: what music do you regularly listen to and why? How do you feel after listening to it?

Music is powerful. More than we realize. It affects your whole brain, not just part of it, and continues to have a hold on us even after we’ve lost other brain functions.

It’s important to consider what music you’ve been listening to, and how it affects you. Are your musical choices benefitting or hurting you? What does music mean to you?

6. List your top 5 favorite books/movies, and why.

According to writing coach, Lisa Cron, our brains are wired for story. So how do stories resonate with you? What books are you drawn to? What themes do all of your favorite books have in common — Redemption? Persistence? Overcoming obstacles? Something else?

The stories we consume affect the stories we tell. And we ALL tell stories — about ourselves, our lives, our world. How do your favorite writers see and interpret the world? You may find that it will greatly impact the way YOU see and interpret the world, for better or for worse.

7. If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be and why?

The famous Alcoholics Anonymous serenity prayer says:

God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, courage to change the things I can, and wisdom to know the difference.

We can’t always change things about ourselves, but you might be able to change more than you think. What would you like to change about yourself? Why haven’t you done it yet? Is there some step you can take to bring you closer to changing it?

8. What was the most painful thing you ever went through? What did you learn from it?

Pain impresses itself on our memories more than pleasure does.

There’s a reason that C.S. Lewis said:

Pain insists on being heard. God shouts to us in our pain. It is his megaphone to rouse a deaf world.

Pain is often a teacher — for better or for worse. But if you’re anything like me, you don’t really like to think about pain that much. Still, you should ask yourself, at least once in your life, what was the most painful thing you went through? What did you learn from it?

Maybe you can figure out something that you learned, so that you do not waste your pain.

One caveat about this prompt: Do not spend TOO much time on this. It’s not healthy to dwell on negative things for long. Think about this question for a set amount of time, write down your answer, then move on.

9. If you didn’t have to worry about money or people’s opinions, what would you do with your life?
10. What was your childhood dream and why? What happened to that dream and why?

We often let fear get in the way of our potential. We don’t usually think big enough. Or we allow the wrong influences to sway us from what we are supposed to do with our lives.

11. What about your life makes you miserable? What do you know you need to give up?

Not everything we do or want is good for us. Sometimes we have to selectively give things up.

12. How do you spend your time? On a weekday? On a weekend?
13. How do you spend your money?
14. Create an ideal budget for your time and money based on percentages (Ex with finances: 10% donations, 40% to live on, 20% to support family, 15% taxes, 10% savings, 5% fun stuff, or something) Why is this your ideal budget?

What you spend your time and money on indicates what things are a priority in your life.

If you want to really get into this prompt, take a week and record (without changing anything) exactly how much time you spend on each activity. Don’t stop if it’s an “atypical” week. Do this for an extra week, if you like, and then look at your results. The answers may surprise you.

Same thing with your financial spending.

You may find that you’re not spending enough time/money on what you truly value. Alternatively, you may find yourself spending time and money on things you never expected, or you don’t want to spend time/money on anymore. In that case, cut those things out, and add the things you do want.

15. What is a book you wish someone would write?

Maybe you should write that book.

If you can’t write that book, why not? Are you not a good enough writer? Do you not know enough about that topic? In which case, should you be learning more about that topic, or about how to write? Do you need to take a class or find a coach to help you get started?? Which leads us to the next question…

16. What is the next thing you want to learn? And to what degree?

Stay curious. There’s so much to do with life. Besides, staying curious can help you stay healthy!

17. Define the following: Success. Wisdom. Love. Faith. Truth. Courage. Joy

In college, I once spent an entire philosophy class debating the definition of “wisdom.” Turns out, a lot of the words we use all the time and think we understand are not as clearly defined, even in our own minds, as we think they are.

Spend some time clarifying these terms in your own mind. Start with a lengthy definition that includes every caveat you can think of, then try shortening it into a pithy one-liner.

18. What do you think God is like?

If a relational God exists, your relationship to Him is the most important relationship in your life. Who do you want God to be? Who do you think God is, irrespective of who you want Him to be? What have others told you about Him? How has your vision of Him been impacted by your experiences?

The way you view God (whether or not He exists, whether or not He is good, kind, relational, loving, etc. ) will impact the way you see yourself, others, your life, and the world.

19. List all the things you think you SHOULD do, that you don’t want to do.
20. Or the opposite: what you SHOULD NOT do, that you do. Why?

Think about what you think you should/should not do, and why you feel that way? Is it culture or conscience that is giving you this message?

Or look at this question from another angle: what is keeping you from doing or not doing that thing? Is the block inside or outside of you? What can you do about it? What have you tried doing about it? Have you done anything about it so far?

21. If your house burned to the ground, what are the top 1–3 things you would want to save? (not including people — assume your family is outside already)

This question will tell you what you value, what material goods are important to you? And why?

22. Who can you serve? OR Who do you want to serve?

Life isn’t meant for selfishness. We all can and should help others.

But we aren’t all meant to serve everyone. We all have different gifts and callings.

A human body is composed of many cells. White blood cells eat foreign invaders. Red blood cells transport oxygen and CO2. Muscle cells contract so the body can move. Neurons (brain cells) pass electric signals through the brain and down to the body. They all do different, but necessary, functions.

Society is the same way. Different people perform different functions. When they all function at their highest levels, the world really will become a better place. It’s not one person trying to do everything, it’s every person doing something, and doing it to the best of their ability.

So take a look at your life experience, your talents and abilities, and who your heart feels touched or softened toward. Look at the opposite — messages you may have internalized about who you should care about, but you really don’t. Then, look for a way to start serving the people you are called to serve.

Pick a few of these prompts — the ones that resonate the most with you — and get started.

If you’re just a beginning journaler, or you’re not at all sure about all of this, I suggest you take 15 minutes and do one. If you have time, or want to challenge yourself more, take an hour and write more.

You can also try answering each prompt twice: Once using stream of consciousness, without censoring yourself. Then try it again, this time thoughtfully and deliberately — and erase or delete as you like.

Do you see a difference between the two answers? Is your subconscious telling you something your conscious mind doesn’t want to hear?

Or write on a prompt, forget it for a month, and come back and write again fromm scratch. Has your answer changed? If there’s a consistent theme, should you investigate or follow it?

Another thing you can do if you want to go deeper on any of these questions is to ask “how is this important to me?” and keep asking until you feel satisfied with the answer.

If at any point you start to feel hopelessly confused and distressed, cut bait. These prompts are designed to help you clarify your perspective, not mentally torture yourself. If it feels like torture, stop it.

Additionally, don’t spend ALL your time writing through these prompts. Maybe take a few hours one day and go through the prompts that you feel would be most relevant, then throughout the week or month, touch base with your written answers that you’ve discovered.

It’s not healthy to be overly introspective all the time. That’s called rumination. At some point, you need to take all you’ve thought about and learned, and put it to work — act, do, go!

However you decide to write, do your best to write honestly. This exercise is to help you. If you tried and don’t find it helpful, stop. If you’re only going to lie to yourself, stop.

But if you do choose to give it a try, give it an honest try. Burn your journal later if you have to, just get it out, at least once.

As Fyodor Dostoyevsky said:

Above all, don’t lie to yourself. The man who lies to himself and listens to his own lie comes to a point that he cannot distinguish the truth within him, or around him, and so loses all respect for himself and for others. And having no respect he ceases to love. — The Brothers Karamazov

Viktor Frankl once said:

Life is not primarily a quest for pleasure, as Freud believed, or a quest for power, as Alfred Adler taught, but a quest for meaning. The greatest task for any person is to find meaning in his or her own life.

May these prompts help you find your meaning.

(And if you gave this a try, I’d love to hear how it went!)

I’ve created The Brilliant Writer Checklist to help you clarify your message, reach more readers, and change the world with your words.

Get the checklist here!

Ideas for inspiration: 13 tips for artists!

Ideas for inspiration: how to stay on the wave of creativity all the time?

Do you make promises to yourself to draw more, and then "deflate"? Learn how to stay creative all year long!

If you're an artist, there have probably been times when you didn't feel inspired enough.

Here are some ideas to keep you inspired and creative.

Ideas for inspiration:

13 tips for artists!

1. USE YOUR SKETCHBOOK REGULARLY

Drawing in a sketchbook as soon as you feel like it, no matter where you are, is easy. Try to do this more regularly.

This will not only improve your skills, but will also help you immerse yourself in creativity as much as possible.

Make weekly sketchbooks your goal , use it as often as possible, even for small sketches.

More blog posts about sketchbooking:

Sketchbook: 13 secrets to get started!
Filling out a sketchbook in 1 month!
How not to ruin a beautiful sketchbook?
Sketchbook Workshop
Sketchbook with tango sketches

2. GO OUT

Many artists get stuck in the daily routine of working in the studio.

Take your drawing or sketch and go out into the world with it.

You can walk in parks, among beautiful buildings, wherever you find inspiration.

When you feel like your routine is taking over, walking can help you create something new that you haven't done before.

This year, do your best to get out of the studio more often!

3. EXPERIMENT WITH WORK SIZE

A great way to spark creativity is to step outside your comfort zone.

One way you can do this is to change the size of your paintings, paper and canvases.

For example, if you usually draw on a small format, use larger sheets. This will allow you to think and work differently, to create unique work.

Try different sizes and see how your work changes.

4. TREAT YOURSELF

At least once this year treat yourself to items you wouldn't normally buy.

These can be expensive good quality brushes, new types of paint or paper.

With a clear conscience, I can recommend Jackson’s Art online store. I buy watercolor paper and imported paints there. It turns out cheaper by 1.5-2 times. How to use their site?

Showing here…

5. Grow Your Ideas

To keep these ideas from getting lost in your sketchbook, set aside 30 minutes to 1 hour per week to develop them.

Need some drawing ideas? Look here:

200+ sketchbook ideas
12 travel ideas
11 easy ideas to draw every day

6. LOOK FOR INSPIRATION

It's important to be able to find time for things that spark your creativity.

It could be a walk, a vacation, reading a book or collaborating with other artists.

All this can give you a creative charge for the whole year.

Read in context:

10 Tips to Add Creativity to Life!
How to develop imagination and improve the creative process?
60 films about artists!
What prevents us from being free to be creative?

7. DEFINE YOUR ARTIST STYLE

Every artist wants to be recognized.

Of course it's great to try new techniques and materials, but in general you still want to keep your style so that people recognize your work.

Work on your signature style over the next year.

8. TRY SOMETHING NEW

Try at least one new thing this year (and it's not just about canvas size).

Explore other ways to create art , be it drawing, embossing, zentangle, watercolor, sculpture, or even baking art.

This will help you grow as an artist and maybe find another hobby for you!

9. MAKE TIME

If you're not a full-time artist, you probably wish you had more time to paint.

No matter how busy you are, you can always find some time to do what you really love.

A couple of days a week, find time to draw by planning classes in advance in the organizer, sign up for a seminar, or attend a master class with other artists.

10. LOOK INTO THE PAST

A great way to get inspired is to look at the work of old masters.

Choose an artist whose work you are particularly fascinated with and study his technique and techniques.

Set aside an hour a week to practice your old techniques with your sketchbook and art magazines.

This will give you great ideas for future projects.

11. WORK ON A PORTFOLIO

If you don't have a portfolio yet, start working on one.

You can take photos of your work, digitize or print it, create a website, or whatever you want (don't forget to be creative).

Portfolios are created not only for professional artists. This is a great way to show friends and family what you're working on.

More submission articles:

How to make a passepartout with your own hands?
Secrets of successful hanging pictures
How to photograph paintings?
Canva - free online photo editor!

12. KEEP AN IDEAS JOURNAL

Your sketchbook may be full of brilliant ideas, but keeping an idea journal is also very convenient. This will give you the ability to keep all your ideas together and organize them.

Idea journals are perfect for when you're thinking about an idea but don't have time to work it out.

Take this magazine with you wherever you go, because you never know when a great idea will hit you!

13. USE VARIOUS RESOURCES

Every artist needs a little help sometimes.

Fortunately, there are many resources to help you throughout the year, whether it's learning new techniques, reviewing new products, or resources to get you creative.

Retrieved from https://keetonsonline.wordpress.com/2013/12/19/13-new-years-resolutions-for-the-artist/

com/ http://www.morguefile.com/ https://www.firestock.ru/ https://www.flickr.com/people/firstladypatate/ https://www.flickr.com/people/vaneeva/ https://www.flickr.com/people/onyxds/

Translation @Creative Workshop

Here are some Creative Workshop resources that

will suggest ideas for inspiration throughout the year:

site : information about all the training programs of the Creative Workshop, an archive of articles, drawing lessons, master classes on video.
Facebook, VKontakte : information about events taking place in the Creative Workshop, current news and articles, interesting facts and useful tips in the field of art and painting.
YouTube : video drawing workshops and artist's advice on video, demonstration of the process of creating paintings, galleries of students' work.

Instagram : Marina Trushnikova's personal page with inspiration squares :)

Pinterest : thematic boards on the topic of creativity with the ability to pin and save information of interest to you.

magazine : a regular selection of recommendations, articles, master classes and other useful materials on drawing in an electronic magazine format.

picture gallery : a selection of paintings by Marina Trushnikova, designed in the form of fairy tales.

Write in the comments, do you know the feeling of New Year/spring/September creative upsurge and inspiration? Do you manage to realize creative ideas in the future, or do they often remain dreams?

Creative oracle.

Tips for life, work and inspiration from the greatest artists

Heed the advice of the world's greatest artists and get inspired with the Creative Oracle.
Has there been a creative crisis? Need to make a tough life decision? Find out how Picasso, Pollock, Kahlo and other masters would have acted in your place. Just choose one card and read advice about life, work or creativity - and you will overcome any obstacles. The set contains 50 cards, as well as a booklet with short biographies of the artists and recommendations for use.

Brief history

Yes, the publishing house itself defines its activity as adventure and jazz, in which there are no wrong notes and where it is impossible to make a mistake (because everything is important in its own way), as a combination of the highest professionalism, a sincere love of reading and a desire to develop. "MIF" began its work in 2005, and the founders of the project are Igor Mann, Mikhail Ivanov and Mikhail Ferber (at the time of the creation of the publishing house - marketing practitioners, including those who wrote books; for example, Igor Mann is the author of several books at once: " 100% Marketing”, “Marketing Machine” and “100% PR”). At first, about ten books were published in the publishing house in a year, then "MIF" rapidly accelerated: if you divide the number of days the editorial office existed by the number of books released by it, it turns out that the next novelty in the publishing house appears every two days! "MIF" was one of the first in Russia to actively publish books in electronic and audio format, actively participates in various scientific and educational projects, helping readers find exactly their book, some even making it publicly available.

Main series and directions

In addition to being one of the leading suppliers of business and non-fiction literature, MIF is also famous for its large selection of children's and teen books, comics, and the MIF. Prose". Books published by "MIF" have repeatedly received a variety of awards and prizes, their business literature is constantly included in the ratings of the best books in this field. Among the authors of "MIF":