spring | www.booksofm.com

MANW Week 11: Check-In and Creative Prompts for Spring

If you’re buried in snow, it might feel like Spring will never come–but it will! I promise!

Before I share some cool links with you that are loaded with creative prompts to celebrate the season, I wanted to give you an update on my social media and internet usage. You may recall that I’ve been going back and forth about how best to leverage my connections, and I’ve found a solution that works. As I’ve been focusing more on making art, I’m finding I need the head space to ensure what’s happening online isn’t intersecting with my work. To that end, there are two programs I’ve found, StayFocusd and LeechBlock, that allow a user to block websites during specific times of the day. So far, that’s been working out very well because I’ve customized them around my schedule. That’s been very effective, and I’m sure it will help me remain focused during Camp NaNoWriMo.

On with the prompts! Since Spring is a popular subject matter for creative prompts, I wanted to share a few links I’ve found on other websites.

Spring Creative Writing Prompts by Litbridge – This particular link has a bunch of prompts for poets and storytellers!
50 Art Journal Prompts – I thought this link was interesting, because it included a mixture of other creative prompts in addition to those with a Spring theme.
20 Spring Writing Prompts – More creative writing prompts! These are full of flowers, growth, and fun ideas to tap into the season.
Spring Jewelry Design Ideas from Artbeads.com – This is a nifty set of images and instructions for Spring jewelry ideas.
50+ Spring Craft Ideas for Adults and Kids – Spring ushers in a time of growth, but it also incorporates Easter and other spring holidays. This is a neat list that can spark your imagination.
Easy Spring Crafts on CountryLiving.com – Lastly, this is another huge list of crafting ideas courtesy of Country Living magazine. There’s quite a bit of ideas on the site, too, that go well beyond Spring-themed prompts. If you’re stuck, check it out!

That’s all the time I have today. Hope your week has been lovely! Onwards!

Mood

Caffeinated Beverages Consumed

Work-Out Minutes Logged Yesterday

In My Ears

Game Last Played

Final Fantasy X-2: The Last Mission

Book Last Read

Movie/TV Show Last Viewed

Legend of the Seeker

Latest Artistic Project

Make Art Not War 2017 Challenge and Rules

Latest Releases

In Volo’s Wake

Dungeons & Dragons 5th Edition

end-of-the-year list of releases

Current State of Projects

project update

MANW Check-In Week 6: Decisions Based on Last Time Used

We’re a month and a half in, and true to this month’s theme I want to talk about organizing. Last time, I mentioned that one way to get your art supplies and files sorted is to think about how you’re using them. For example, if you’re the type of person who stashes projects here and there (only to discover them later), ask yourself which space you use the most.

Today’s tip is about assessing your usage to help you get organized. Often, I’ve noticed that people start with Keep, Recycle, Toss, but I find that’s too generic for me. I base categories on increments of time, because that is a strong indicator on when I’ll use it.

What I do is assess the last time I used a project/file before making a decision. To this end, I’ve been using my digital calendars more and more–it’s so helpful to have a visual picture of what I’m doing and when. I’ll recommend some calendars next week!

Here’s how my assessment breaks down:

Current: For me, what I’m currently using is either within a window of thirty days, or during the last event. For example, since I infrequently cross-stitch I’d consider whatever I worked on last as current.
Past: This can either be within the past six months or a full year to cover seasonal-related uses. For example, NaNoWriMo.org, which occurs in November, and Camp NaNoWriMo, held in April and July, happen the same time every year.

From here, I think about usage up to five years. If I haven’t used something in five years, then that automatically gets archived, donated, or thrown out. For digital files, my methodology is to focus on what I’ve written within one-to-two years, because as I change and grow so does my writing. To go back and edit something I’ve written in the past is an exercise in insanity. I might farm the ideas, mind you, but rewriting older works isn’t healthy for me or my work.

Okay, once I have that sorted, it’s easier for me to make decisions based on what I’m using, what I want to use, and what I can safely get rid of. Why do this? Well, it’s a good way to save and make money. Going through your stuff gives you a sense of your personal inventory, and it helps jog your memory for gifts you’ve promised and projects you wanted to do. Sometimes, if I can’t find a specific calligraphy pen or a canvas, I’ll buy another one thinking I don’t have it. This way, I’ll know exactly what I’ve got–and what I tend to use more of!

The point of this exercise is to take control of your spaces, files, and art supplies to give you the mental and physical room to make more art. There’s also several psychological benefits to getting organized as well as a few health benefits, too. You might have another method of getting organized that works better for your style–and that’s okay!