Captured on the threshold of its emergence as a sunflower, the complexity of a flower about to bloom has always intrigued me more than its actual outcome. It is poised on the verge of becoming something, and seems so hopeful, just like the creative spirit.

To awaken your creative spirit, try journaling. The No Excuses Art Journaling Book (just one of countless options), by Gina Rossi Armfield, lures you into making time for creativity with a day-planner format and enough tips, prompts, demos, quotes and inspirations to either stupefy you into inaction, or spur you into a whirlwind of creativity. Suggested materials that accompany techniques outlined by a dozen artists ensure the latter. Merely owning the journal is a guarantee to spark any dormant creative urges you have.

“The creative spirit is always poised on the verge of becoming.”  

To be inspired to create something every day, Maria Gatling’s handbook is a non-threatening approach that appeals to anyone who ever said, “I don’t have a creative bone in my body.” Nonsense, says she, with 52 fun, simple creative tasks, one to tackle each week of the year, so you’ll Be Inspired: Create Something Every Day.

To put creativity into perspective for its restorative benefits, read Stef Lewandowski‘s story Create Something Every Day on Medium. His near-death brush with meningitis led him to create something every day, until that became a habit, and, ultimately, his way of life. He recognizes that the significance is in the process, not the end result . . .

To circle back to the awakening flower. ♣

Visit the place where my creative spirit lives. Buy a print of Awakening, from $45, HERE.