I am so excited by how my community here on Substack is growing.
It’s such a joy exploring happiness and creativity with you all, and it means so much to me that so many of you are keen to read my words, and that you take the time to engage with thoughtful, supportive and interesting comments. So I wanted to just get a bit mushy for a moment and say how grateful I am that you’re here, and that I Am Happy is gaining momentum.
I started these Creative Sparks with the intention to help others build a regular creative practice, because I know a) how incredibly powerful creativity can be for self-expression, self-discovery, emotional fulfilment and connection to the world around us, but also b) how flipping difficult it can be to show up regularly to engage with your creative self when life seems to be draining everything you’ve got and the society we live in undermines the value of creative joy. It really feeds my soul to see so many people getting on board with that and getting in touch with their creative powers.
So I have a proposition for you.
I’d like to take Creative Sparks to the next level, as a creative guide and a journal format that you can use in your creative practice. I’d also like to create a course on building a creative practice. But to do all that, I would need to charge for my time.
The main I Am Happy newsletter will always be free, and I’ll always throw some free creative prompts into the mix because we all need some greater doses of creativity in our lives. But what I’d like to know from you is: would you be willing to pay for a subscription that got you access to more in-depth, structured prompts and more guidance on making this creative thing work for you?
Let me know in the comments if that’s something you’re interested in, and if I get a few “hell yeahs!”, I will get on with making it happen.
And now, to the prompts!
Saturday 2nd September
Go and sit somewhere in nature. A forest, the beach, a park, anywhere that you find enjoyable. Make sure you are safe and comfortable, then close your eyes.
With sight out of the mix, engage your other senses. What can you hear? What can you smell? What can you feel? Is there a taste on the air?
Write a description of your experience.
Sunday 3rd September
Write / paint / draw / collage / take photos / do any form of creative activity that floats your boat using the following prompt:
Hot and cold.
Monday 4th September
Reflection prompt.
Journal, meditate on, or just spend some time pondering the following question:
How do you connect with your body? Do you exercise, or spend time in meditation? Do you take time to move your body, dancing, shaking, even just going for a walk, often? Do you nurture your body? Do you massage your skin or get professional massages? How can you spend more time getting out of your head and into your body to listen to what it has to tell you?
Tuesday 5th September
Free writing.
You’re going to write for at least 15 minutes without stopping. Set a timer so you don’t need to keep checking the clock. Keep your pen moving for the full 15 minutes, even if you just write “I don’t know what to write, I don’t know what to write”. Write down whatever comes into your mind.
Use this as your first line to get you started:
All the hairs on the back of my neck stood up.
Wednesday 6th September
Paint with your hands.
Choose a selection of colours of paint that you like, and either squeeze some of each directly onto your paper or put some of each into a dish. Then use your fingers and hands as the paintbrush. Really engage physically with the picture - you can dab bits of paint with your fingertips, smear it across the paper with your hand, or try what happens when you roll different parts of your hands through the paint.
Let yourself be really free with the paint, and see what comes out. You might even close your eyes and just let your body work intuitively with the paints.
Tip: wear clothes you don’t mind getting messy, and make sure you have a cloth down underneath your paper to protect your surfaces!
Thursday 7th September
Go to a shop that has a number of different scents (it could be perfumes, or scented candles, maybe bath products, anything as long as there’s a good variety - I spent about 20 minutes amongst the scented candles in Asda today, so this can be done anywhere!). Take your time inhaling the different smells.
Pay attention to whether any particular fragrances evoke certain memories, emotions or associations in you. For example, the smell of baked apples will always take me back to my grandmother’s kitchen, and the amber and leather candle I tried today immediately made me think of obnoxious men in suits. Why? Well that is something interesting for me to have a think about…
Friday 8th September
Reflection prompt.
Journal, meditate on, or just spend some time pondering the following question:
What does “intuition” mean to you?
Do you trust it? Do you believe in it? Why? How much do you listen to yours? What do you think it would say if you listened more?
Hit subscribe so that you get next week’s prompts straight to your inbox on Saturday, as well as the I Am Happy newsletter on Wednesday. See you there!