365 Pictures: Daily Prompt GeneratorDiscover the hidden treasure that's inspired teachers, writers, bloggers, and others for the last decade: Creativity Portal's original worldwide collaborative daily prompt generator! This inspiring feature is the result of the combined creative efforts of scores of artists, photographers, writers, and other creatives who answered the invitation to create and combine personal pictures, images, art, and illustrations with thought-provoking prompts to inspire others globally with unique perspectives and visual stimulus for writing projects. SEE TODAY'S PROMPT
Write What You See
By Hank Kellner
If "one picture is worth a thousand words," can one picture also inspire a thousand words? Of course it can. That's why educators are becoming increasingly aware of the power photographs have to unlock students' imaginations and help them express themselves through written language. Whether you want to teach specific writing skills or simply to help students overcome their reluctance to write, you'll find that photographs are powerful teaching aids that can inspire students at all levels to create both expository and creative compositions. What's more, when you use photographs in your classroom, you can be as directive — or as non-directive — as you choose to be.
Less is More | Every Photograph Tells a Story | Contrast in Writing, Subjects | Combining Photos with Poems | Photo Essays Tell Stories | Connect Seeing with Writing | Photos Trigger Words | Writing Prompts | Shifting Perspectives
Inspirational Muses
Mermaids symbolize abundance, creativity, wisdom, and renewal. Who are these strange creatures? What messages from the deep blue sea do they carry ashore? Originally, mermaids symbolized the divine aspect of human nature. Fish are an ancient symbol of abundance, creativity, wisdom, and renewal. The combination of a fish tail and a female torso and head could be interpreted as a goddess symbol, or a powerful rendering of female sexuality. It may also symbolize the astrological sign of Pisces. (I'm a mermaid myself, born on the cusp of Aquarius and Pisces. I've always been secretly fascinated by mermaids — no wonder!)
Habits to Spark Creative Genius
By Jeannine McGlade
Within our daily lives we are constantly (and usually unconsciously) provided with opportunities to play and amuse ourselves with possibilities. No matter whether you are in your car driving to work or you are attending a mundane social event, an invitation to play and be creative awaits you. Every day is a reminder to awaken our creative genius. Every day offers a gift of play.
Author Interviews
By New World Library
Brainstorm is about the way your brain really wants to work if given a chance. Our brain would love to be more focused, engaged, and passionate in our service but we've never been taught how to marshal all those billions of neurons. The brain isn't that interested in the dates of battles or in conjugating verbs — in the kind of work asked of it in school. It would like to dream large and really bite into what interests it.
Writing from the Deeper Self
By Naomi Rose
Long sentences may seem to be on their way out, thanks to the ubiquity and speed-inducing presence of our digital world, but there is a lot to say for them, as writers in previous, less speed-absorbed cultures have shown. Long sentences get below the surface of things ~ lengthen not only the expanse of space that the words take up on the page, but also the stretch of space within the mind and spirit of the reader. To accompany a writer's lengthy sentences ~ following with sustained interest all the phrases and clauses kept in delicate, plate-spinning balance by commas, semicolons, and dashes ~ is to lengthen one's own stride, inside; to let go of the whirling circumference of the most surface edge of the radius of the circle, and to settle into the deeper, stiller, quieter realms of oneself where all the real treasures, both known and not-yet-known, reside.
The Nine Modern Day Muses
By Jill Badonsky, MEd
Albert is the Modern Day Muse of Innovation and Imagination. His powers range from encouraging us to break the rules to embodying a different persona in order to experience a more creative perspective. These tools can dull writing into irresistible prose, a relationship suffering from routine into one rich with novelty, or an unexciting business plan to one thriving in distinction. When I plan workshops, it is this Muse's creative concepts I call upon the most because they easily lend themselves to quick applications for creative success.
Premiums and Printables
By Chris Dunmire
Did you know memory-boosting exercises help improve brain function and positively impact your creative ability as you age? That's why so many sage people are addicted to puzzles like word searches and Sudoku! Here's a playful way to exercise your memory and boost your brainpower: Play my Tree-mendous Memory! game. It comes in two editions: Fall and Spring and can be downloaded in four different styles.
Premiums and Printables
By Chris Dunmire
With fake fun printable 'Cashius monetarius' seed packet! As featured in Money: Everything You Never Knew About Your Favorite Thing to Find, Save, Spend, and Covet by Sandra and Harry Chonron, this unique origami money plant makes a delightful gift to create, but hard to give away! Learn how to make this truly memorable craft with my with easy-to-follow instructions in a fully-illustrated, step-by-step 23-page project book.
Fostering Creativity
By Molly J. Anderson-Childers
You will not find too many children’s songs about healthy foods. I always hope this activity will inspire interest in eating salad. At least it inspires interest in pretending to be salad! Learning benefits of this activity include: Auditory memory (remembering musical cues to jump and clap); Cognitive development (colors); Curiosity; Fine-motor skills (clapping); Gross-motor skills (jumping); Imagination (pretending to be vegetables); Listening skills (waiting for their colors to be called); and Vocabulary (lettuce, onion, tomato, carrot).
Creativity & Inspiration
By Tom Evans
There are several states of being that stop light bulb moments in their tracks. I say 'states of being' as they are not limited to our state of mind. Light bulb moments are whole body phenomena. The very act of talking can suppress creativity, for the time we are actually speaking at least. This is especially if the thing we are talking about is of little consequence. Our aspirations flow on the out breath and inspirations come on the in breath or the still point between the in and the out. This flow is so subtle that is difficult to detect and tune into. Once you do though, the difference between external inspirational guidance and internal thought becomes clear.
