Every January for many years now, I have joined in with the daily creative prompts by 64 Million Artists. For the last 3 years I have shared these prompts with a group of chronically ill people, encouraging us all to get creative. Below you can see my creativity through January. Perhaps this will encourage you to have a go yourself. It’s never too late to take up a creative habit.
Here is a gallery of the paintings I created through the month, can you figure out which painting belongs to which prompt and poem? You can find some textile art and other creative outputs including poems, against each date below the gallery.
Day 1 - Word of the Year
Hope
Holding onto Hope
Open heartedly
Practicing rest
Every day
...
Day 2 - Listen Look Up
Snow floating gently
Covers spiky conifers
Winter wonderland
.
Icicles of hope
Melt into tears of pain
As time slips away
As time slips away
We cling to optimism
Frozen in moments
Frozen in moments
Long forgotten memories
Icicles of hope
.
Prancing through the snow
Drawing self portraits with truth
The winter moon shines
...
Day 3 - Your Memory Poem
Mountains loom large
Wrapping my weakness with their comforting presence
Nature's scent embues the air
Relieving my tension on each deep breath
Waterfalls just out of sight
Calm my mind with swelling melodies
Snowy glacial slopes
Sparkle anew with ancient hope
I bottle these memories
Cradling hopes for future adventures
Unfurling the fragments into tapestries of travel
Relaxing with anticipation
...
Day 4 - Capture Your Day
January whispers....
"No new beginnings for us"
No need to adjust
Or make a fuss
This journey is forever circular
Spectacular
Yet familiar
We leave time with our stories
In memories
Or lullabies
As the silver moon captures our melodies
As remedies
In reveries
Mistakes melt like snowflakes
On frozen lakes
As spring awakes
Set aside habits that will be broken
Or frozen
Leave them unspoken
Don't fear the slopes
Speak out your hopes
Or jot them on backs of envelopes
This is the way to live each day
Truthfully
Mindfully
Faithfully
Hopefully
Peacefully
Gratefully
...
Day 5 - Erasure Poetry
Do you ever feel like you aren't enough
Whilst also being far too much
That you take up too much space
Yet are barely noticed
As if you aren't designed effectively
Were made mistakenly
Live incorrectly
Can't find your niche
Your place
Your space
In a world of perfection
Perhaps it's just me
But the older I get
The more I suspect
That almost everyone feels the same
Which means there is no shame
No truth
In this feeling
Of failing
Because no one is winning
Yet everyone wins
...
Day 6 - A Word Walk
Take time to be still
As leaves are unfurling
Basking in winter sunlight
Accept hibernation as a blessing
Allow your roots to anchor
Whilst your soul is resting
Opening to possibilities
As spring starts emerging
Invite hope to lead your steps
Singing a lullaby of peace
Developing your trust
That love will never cease
...
Day 7 and 8
I have built a wordless construction using Makaton which tells the story of my last two days.
Alt text:
Yesterday
I was in pain
I was frightened
I was told to go to hospital
I had to have an emergency operation
Today
I am resting in bed
...
Day 9 - Smile
On winter mornings
An echo of footsteps brings
Welcomed company
...
Day 10 - A Musical Day
Things can only get better, right?
I'm not asking for perfection
Or sugar coated delectation
I'm not into fake saccharine tales
Just asking for a few less fails
Daily glimmers that bring a sense of hopeful
So life is just a little less dreadful
Because under all the news of tragedy
I know that there are blessings each day for us to see
...
Day 11 - A New Word
Grarghr - an intense feeling of frustration and irritation that needs to be roared to relieve tension.
Go on, give it a go, it really releases the tension that has built up in your body from so much injustice, pain and frustration in the world. Be more Tiger!
...
Day 12 - Making Waves
In the story of my life
Water will flow freely
Waves lapping on secret shores
Mellifluously
Waterfalls cascading over rocks
Energetically
Frozen ponds laced with ice
Mysteriously
Silent pools inviting rest
Encouragingly
Nourishing me
Sustainably
Loving me
Eternally
+
Asking directly
Trusting the truth will be shared
Perfect clarity
Perfect clarity
After ripples find their peace
Reflecting the truth
...
Day 13 - Follow the Sound
Listen to the echoes of dusk whilst shadows split
Hear whispers weave through trees as they sway and sigh
Footfalls resonate on pathways softly lit
Each note a promise as it drifts nearby
The murmurs of streams call with gentle grace
Beneath the crescent moon’s watchful embrace
When you follow a sound you'll find your place
Where heartbeats meet dreams face to face
Birdsong rises like laughter in the air
As past meets the present in memorial streams
Every rustle of leaves asks "are you aware?"
That fleeting moments hold infinite dreams
Listen to the music that life composes loud
Wisdom waits in nature so follow the sound
...
Day 14 - Mindful Animal Movement
Feeling exhausted?
Not up to movement?
In the animal world
There is no judgement
You can take it slow with a Sloth
Find a quiet spot with a Gorilla
Hang around in style with a Koala
Or chill out with a Red Panda
The choice is entirely yours
Leave it in their restful paws
...
Day 15 - The Worm
Wiggling and wriggling
Over and under my
Really colourful quilt
Masquerading as a Caterpillar
...
Day 16 - Recycle to Stitch
Shared the kawandi quilt piece I have created to be part of the long covid support banner.
...
Day 17 - Mind-Full Of....?
Created from stars
A mere blinking of an eye
In galactic time
In galactic time
Lives end before they begin
Momentarily
Momentarily
I will live in love and light
Created from stars
...
Day 18 - Dressed to Express
Dress to express
In colour and style
Not for anyone else
Just to make yourself smile
Don't worry about spoiling
Your expensive garments
Choose clothes that look fab
Wear those "for special" items
Choose your sparkliest top
Don't save it for best
Enjoy extravagant shoes
With that spectacular dress
Don a fabulous hat
When you're out for a chat
Style the scarf with a broach
In a bohemian approach
There aren't enough days
To worry about their opinion
Wear exactly what you like
Be your own limited edition
...
Day 19 - Unseen Borders
Time warp
Warped clocks
Clocks through time
Timeless memories
Memories of Manchester
Manchester theatre
Lecture theatre
Maths lecture
Maths teacher
MC Escher
Optical illusion
Visual illusion
Illusion of vision
Warped vision
Time warp
...
Day 20 - Meaningful Touch
No Blue Monday here
Lots of red, green and yellow
A wonderful world
Where some days are difficult
And others are not so bad
...
Day 21 - You Inspire Me
You get up and face the world
Stay positive despite the hurt
Smile through all the stress and pain
Every day you try again
More than those who run and win
You're challenged by most everything
You're being the best that you can be
This is why you inspire me
...
Day 22 - Take Back the Trash
Textile creations
...
Day 23 - This Is Me
Blind wheelchair user
Colourful creator
Problem solver
Poem writer
Pray-er
Emma
...
Day 24 - Heart Beat
Creativity....
Creativity is not a talent
It's an ability to play
To let yourself try
To make mistakes
Or completely fail
Dust yourself off
And try again
And again
And again
And again
...
Day 25 - Gratitude Bank
Grateful for family
Always there for me
Grateful for friends
Around every bend
Grateful for assistance
Enabling my persistence
Grateful for technology
Facilitating my creativity
Grateful for healthcare
Ensuring I'm still here
Grateful for prayer
In all of life's affairs
Grateful everyday
Even in tiny ways
...
Day 26 - Pieces Together (Peace is together)
There are places
Where you can be yourself
Without apology or explanation
Spaces which feel like home
Where the welcome is genuine
Without demands or requirements
No matter your shape or colour
You are invited to find peace
Love for one another
.
Discovering peace
As hope flickers quietly
Weaving through stillness
Weaving through stillness
Whispering invitations
Everyone welcome
Everyone welcome
Finding light in the shadows
Discovering peace
...
Day 27 - Grounding
Sitting in the quiet of dawn
Grounded
The earth awakening
As light filters through moss covered branches
A woodpecker hammers
Knocking on wood
A metronome for nature's song
Rhythms inviting dancers
The trees stand tall
Ancient
Decorated in stories told by time
Accompanied by slow feet scratches
Nature's drummer all alone
Featured soloist
Filling the forest with holy sounds
Resonance as my breath catches
...
Day 28 - Silly Self Portrait
Not often silly
But then, every so often
I let it all out
I let it all out
Singing, dancing and playing
Like a little kid
Like a little kid
Pretending nothing matters
It’s nice to pretend
.
My mask wears a smile
Reassuringly
Politely
Enduringly
Yet underneath
I can barely breathe
This is not my reality
Life is never so neat
And so I retreat
Distancing myself from those who fear
An imposter without good cheer
Conquering the need to live perfectly
But instead, to be, the truest me
.
When life weighs me down
Stargazing escapism
Provides perspective
...
Day 29 - Character Creation
Hi I'm a cell mutation
A nasty little creation
That's into rapid reproduction
Then bodily invasion
I hope you don't mind me colonising
I'll keep on spreading
As long as you're not noticing
It shouldn't be upsetting
No no, you can trust me
I won't do anything dodgy
Waiting isn't a mistake
You can be you and I'll be me
Don't come so close
Ignore what you see
There's no need to attack me
Couldn't you let me be?
...
Day 30 - I Make Myself Laugh
Not up to laughing today
Can't summon a giggle
Not smiled in a while
It would be superficial
Instead there is pain
All over my body
And on top of it all
A whole load of worry
So today I'll just be
A bit of a misery
It's ok when life's hard
To take a day for me
...
Day 31 - Change Maker
We are all flawed
All broken in some way
That's what makes us us
Individually spectacular
We deserve to be loved and valued
For who we each are
Perfectly understood
In our particular shapes and colours
When we find our place in the world
We will heal our cracks with gold
Highlighting our imperfections
Formed creatively
Together we form one picture
No one greater than another
Each part of life's jigsaw puzzle
Everyone a treasure
...
Create every day
Stimulate new ideas
For loving yourself
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