Three Creative Prompts to Shift from Despair
Heal. Express. Discover. Find the prompt you need today
Dear Friend,
I wrote this post before yesterday’s horrific killings of Rep. Melissa Hortman and her husband, but I hope you’ll find my prompts and message still timely. When I heard yesterday’s news, my heart shattered for their child, family and for our country yet again. Yesterday’s #NoKings marches really lifted my spirits. The creativity of costumes and signs was very inspiring! I loved this message from one of my favorite artists Justin Duerr and hope it hits home for you:
In my English eighth grade. class–this was back in 1985 but I remember it like yesterday–Ms. Emeigh handed each of us Les Misérables by Victor Hugo. My classmates uttered a collective groan but I felt a quiet thrill as I scanned the back cover.
What would you do, Ms. Emeigh asked, if you were starving and had nothing to eat? Would you steal a single loaf of bread if that was the only way to feed your family?
Les Misérables offered me a voyage to early 19th-century France. I immersed in the struggle of Jean Valjean, the man who stole that bread, and of desperate Fantine, a mother who lost her child and then her life.
Who would have known that two years later, in 1987, Les Misérables would became a hot Broadway show? I was super lucky to get to see a touring production a year later and the story came to life in a whole new way.
I had memorized the entire score by the time I saw the show. Watching the first scene, when a kind bishop forgives Valjean, my tears began. I cried through the entire show, even when I was laughing through the innkeeper’s raucous “Master of the House.”
All of these memories came back to me this week when I woke up Friday morning to discover that three Drag Queens + one Drag King protested the current ‘leader’ of our government by entering the Kennedy Center in their full Drag regalia. The irony of a law and order authoritarian missing the entire point of the Les Mis was too much–something needed to shake and challenge that man and those brave performers did it!
Their courage and creativity sparked my hope, gave me energy for the day and reminded me about the sheer power of creativity.
It’s understandable to despair about the freedoms being challenged and taken away from us right now; I feel that often.
But we are not powerless. Activating and expressing our creative energy is one way to exercise freedom and claim your full humanity.
We’re living through an exhausting time. Take care of yourself.
I created three variations on today’s prompt so you can choose the one that feels most nourishing.
Here’s to life, courage, nourishment, laughter and creativity!
Have a friend whose spirits could use a boost? Invite them to explore their creative energy with us!
Writing Practice: Set aside 5-7 minutes for this practice. Write in a journal or open a ‘Journey with The Season’ document where you can return each Sunday.
Prompt: Read through the three variations and go with the one that resonates most.
Variation #1: Write To Heal
Imagine that you can place all of the emotions you’ve held this week–sadness, exhaustion, despair, whatever’s come up–in the hands of some natural element. It may be a river taking them away, a wind sweeping them from your back, a stone holding them for you.
Write about where you place those emotions. How does it feel to release them, even a little bit? How does it feel to know you are supported by the natural world?
Variation #2: Write To Express
Imagine that all of your thoughts about the injustice you’ve witnessed, learned about or experienced are a storm raging inside of you.
Let the storm speak. Imagine it as cloud, as thunder or lightning. What does the storm want and need to say? Write from the storm’s voice.
Variation #2: Write To Discover
Imagine yourself standing on a path. You don’t need to see the road ahead. You know that by taking steps along this path, you’re walking towards your creativity and your courage.
The path asks you to consider what you care about most right now and what gifts you have to offer. Write about whatever comes up from this imagining.
I’d love to read any of your reflections–send them my way!
Spiritual Practice for the week ahead: Return to these prompts and tune into what you need in the moment: time for healing, time for expression, time for discovery. Take a few quiet moments and write. Notice how you feel before and after taking the time to activate your creativity.
This is the week! Join our Magical Circle
This hour-long gathering invites you to slow down, reflect, and connect with the spiritual energy of the Summer Solstice.
For free subscribers, there are two ways to join for your convenience:
OR…you can become a paid subscriber to ‘Journey With the Seasons’ at a 21% off discount. As a paid subscriber, you’ll snag free entry to both my Summer & Winter Solstice circles, along with accompanying journals, and you’ll also receive surprise gifts throughout the year to ignite your imagination. And, of course, you’ll have my everlasting gratitude for your support!
Wishing you a week of creative activation! With love, Gabrielle Ariella