I’m heading off to Creative Arts Camp soon and the director asked for some journaling prompts both for writing in a journal and for an art journal. The two lists I’ve created here are just a quick bunch of suggestions, but are a great place to start. Have fun with this and dig deep for best results:

Writing Prompts:

• things you are grateful for
• goals and priorities
• a happy memory
• why that book/movie is your favorite
• where you want to visit and what you want to do there
• why do you identify with your favorite color?
• seven of the oddest things you like
• your biggest victory this year
• your biggest struggle this year
• positive affirmations about your body
• good deeds you plan to do
• what you’d like to do more often
• what you’d like to do less often
• your most recent dream
• what book changed your life and why?
• what are your best skills and when do you use them most?
• what are you passionate about and why?
• a letter to someone you need to forgive
• what were favorite activities as a child?
• who do you admire and why?
• what is preventing you from pursuing your dreams?
• describe your favorite season
• what brings you satisfaction?
• what risks are you eager to take
• explain your most profound healing thought
• what are your weaknesses and how can you fix them?
• what does success mean to you?
• what does your ideal daily routine look like?
• what are three things you want to achieve in your life?
• describe exactly what you do to get to get a sense of peace
• describe the steps you take to get rid of negative emotions.
• if you worked for the circus, what role would you play and why
• what are three countries you want to visit and why?
• in what way could your childhood have been better?
• what are you doing to bring more justice into the world?
• what is the biggest fear you’ve overcome and how did you do it?
• what is your favorite sport to participate in?
• if you had plenty of money, what would you do?
• write a letter to your teenaged self
• what have you done that you are most proud of?
• describe lots of ways you could be more generous
• what is something you’ve learned today?
• what do you love about yourself?
• describe your three most favorite foods
• what memory do you most treasure?
• describe your favorite natural setting
• what do you like about where you live?
• describe an embarrassing situation you have been in
• tell about your best friend
• tell a love story from your own life
• what decision could you make that would make your whole life better?
• what new things do you want to learn?
• what were the results from your courageous action?
• how can you use your skills and gifts in a new way?
• what was your favorite thing to do as a child?
• how are you feeling about tomorrow?
• how do you want to be remembered in life?

Artist Journal Prompts:

• doodle
• paint how cake and icing feels on your tongue
• paint your most recent dream
• find a flower and draw it
• illustrate a poem
• draw a mandala
• collage some paint samples from the hardware store
• design a glamorous or outrageous outfit
• stitch a design onto your page
• fill a page with inspirational quotes in different handwriting styles
• keep teabag tags, fruit stickers, receipts, etc and stick them on a page
• paint your favorite word without using letters
• illustrate your favorite song lyrics
• fill your page with geometric shapes
• draw or paint imaginary faces and diverse expressions
• draw your breakfast
• paint the sound of the loons
• do crayon resist with watercolors
• do a collage with magazine bits
• do a contour drawing without looking at your paper
• try your hand at calligraphy
• print leaves on your page
• imagine being free and paint it
• draw the fire
• draw puzzle pieces
• paint the sunset
• focus on something far away
• use a beautiful juxtaposition of colors
• layer different materials on top of each other
• use a stencil
• make a relief rubbing
• depict how you are feeling
• what does anger look like? or peace?
• make an atmospheric landscape
• draw a collection of similar things
• draw overlapping objects
• paint or draw the same thing in different seasons
• paint or draw a metaphor
• spatter paint across the page
• how many different kinds of marks can you make?
• how many different kinds of lines can you make?
• do a spiraling motif
• what does laughter look like? or listening?
• paint your childhood wisdom
• paint with your fingers
• draw something you love
• do a page of meditative dots
• paint something delicious
• depict leadership
• draw metamorphosis
• look up and record what you see from where you are
• what does intuition look like?
• use colors that feel honest to you
• use a lot of black and a little white
• use a lot of white and a little black
• draw an experience of yours in a storyboard
• draw to percussive rhythm
• paint with cold colors
• draw with hot colors
• paint or draw timidly then boldly
• express joy