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How many times have you just stared at a blank page and not known what to create. Whether you’re writing or art journaling we all get blocked. This is where prompts can be magical.

Prompts can be one word, or full sentences. A prompt doesn’t have to be taken literally. It is merely meant to spur on your creative juices.

One fun thing I have done is create a prompt jar. You can use anything, a box, a jar, a bag, and just fill it up with all sorts of prompts.  When you’re stuck reach in, grab one, and start creating!

Avoid picking and choosing your prompts. Even if it seems weird or hard throw it in there anyway! Sometimes the strangest prompts are the ones that turn into the best and most unique journal pages.

Stuck on prompts? Here are a bunch for you!

Make a List

• Words you like
• Favorite foods
• Best moments of the past year
• Favorite songs
• Places you’ve visited
• Places you want to visit
• Favorite songs
• Songs that make you cry (or laugh, or smile, etc.)
• Things to do
• Greatest accomplishments
• Things you want to try
• Things that make you happy
• Things you are Grateful for
• Favorite quotes
• Favorite books
• Books to read/books you are reading
• Things you love about you
• Your talents
• Bucket list
• Most beautiful things
• What’s in your bag
• Jokes that make you laugh
• Favorite art supplies
• Things I love that are (insert a color here)
• My favorite things about fall/spring/summer/winter
• What do you want in your dream home
• Words that describe you
• Favorite flowers
• Things you’ve learned
• Things you believe
• States/countries you’ve visited

Confess Something

• Nobody knows that I…
• Something you want forgiveness for
• Something you feel guilty about
• Write a letter to someone you’ve kept a secret from
• What is your most secret desire
• What is your biggest fear
• What is the most difficult challenge in your life
• What makes your angry
• Write bout a current or former secret crush

Visual Inspiration

• Cut a picture out of a magazine and create a page around it
• Print a coloring page or mandala and add to it to make it your own
• Choose a photo and write the story of what you imagine is happening in it
• Write the story of your favorite childhood photo
• Turn a regular photo/picture into a fantasy scene by adding elements (wings, fairies, magic wands, etc.)
• Create a franken-face from different images
• Choose a famous painting and write the story you imagine when looking at it
• Choose your favorite story and illustrate it

Write About Your Emotions

• What is your happiest memory
• What makes you sad
• Write about the last time you cried
• What makes you laugh
• What “silly” thing never fails to drive you crazy
• Color a mandala with the colors that represent how you feel today
• Do an abstract painting of how you feel
• Write about the time you were the most afraid/excited/angry/etc.

Write Your Memoir

• What is your earliest memory
• What is your best childhood memory
• What was your favorite toy
• What is your saddest childhood memory
• What moment changed your life
• What is your biggest accomplishment
• What was your biggest failure and how did it change you
• Who has had the biggest effect on your life
• What was your favorite class in school
• Tell about your best friend(s)
• What dreams did you have that you have accomplished
• What dreams have you not accomplished yet
• Have you ever been lost
• Did you ever run away
• Who is/was your favorite relative

What if?

• If you could live in any TV show which would it be and why
• If you could have a dinner party with anyone dead or alive who would you invite
• If you could ask anyone three questions who would you talk to and what would you ask
• If you had to spend it all within 2 hours what would you do with $100, $1000, $10,000 $1 million
• If money was not a consideration what would your dream job be
• If you had a dream trip where would you go and what would you do
• If you could go back in time what would you do
• If you had 1 hour with a deceased person who would you see and what would you talk about
• If you had a genie what would your three wishes be

Write a Letter

• To someone you need to forgive
• To someone you need to be forgiven by
• To your future self
• To your past self
• To your loved ones to be opened after you pass on
• To your favorite actor/author/sports person etc.
• To someone who needs to know what you know
• To someone you need to thank
• Of encouragement to someone who is struggling
• Encouraging change
• To the editor of your favorite publication
• Asking for advice
• Giving advice

Tell About Your Firsts

• First crush
• First day of school (or middle school/high school)
• First job
• First memory
• First car
• First place you lived as an adult
• First best friend
• First big trip
• First taste of…(insert any food)
• First time leaving your home state/country
• First time you failed
• First big success
• First performance of your talent
• First time you met…(insert anyone in your life you want to write about)

Who are You?

• What makes you unique
• What are your talents
• What are some of your idiosyncrasies
• What is your guilty pleasure
• What talents do you want ot develop
• What words do you use to describe yourself
• What words do your friends use to describe you
• What are your best physical features
• Describe your personal fashion style
• What things are you good at that others don’t see
• What is your spirit animal
• Which Hogwarts house would you be in
• What is your favorite genre of books/music/movies/etc.
• Write a description of yourself the way a novelist would
• Who would play you in a movie about your life

One Word Inspiration

• Happy
• Sad
• Dream
• Big
• Small
• Wonderful
• Slow
• Secret
• Kindness
• Thankful
• Snow
• Fun
• Exciting
• Give
• Inside
• Long
• Creepy
• Delicious
• Beautiful
• Amazing
• Kindness
• Garden
• Sleep
• Lonely
• Friendship
• Love
• Anxious
• Faith
• Clean
• Messy
• Hope
• Desire
• Music
• Work
• Envelope
• Disaster

These one word prompts could go on and on and on, but hopefully this is enough to get you started. Remember don’t just choose your favorite prompts. Put them ALL in the jar along with some of your favorite quotes and challenge yourself do a page on whatever you draw first.

Want my list of prompts as a free printable? Enter your email in the form below and I’ll shoot it on over!