Artistic Prompts
By Elizabeth Dubos
Creativity can be a tricky thing. On one hand it’s thrilling when you have a bunch of ideas that you’re pouring out onto paper, so you don’t forget them. Whether it’s for a professional position or a hobby, creativity can bring a lot of joy. For example, it’s exciting to see your idea come alive. However, it’s frustrating when you’re struggling to be creative. At some point in our lives, we’ve all experienced a few creative blocks. The Internet offers wonderful suggestions on how to overcome a creative block but doesn’t offer too much advice after that. What happens if you’ve taken the steps to overcome a creative block and still haven’t produced an idea? Well, here’s a simple solution; artistic prompts. Artistic prompts can be incredibly helpful because it helps point you in a creative direction, so you don’t feel so lost on what to create. If you’ve taken art classes in school, then you probably remember the teacher would tell you what to create, but it’s up to each person to interpret the final product. Plus, prompts encourage artists to experiment with different art forms and push ourselves outside our comfort zone. No matter if you’re an illustrator, painter, photographer, graphic designer etc. you’ll can find an artistic prompt that will pique your interest. Here are some of my favorite artistic prompts that have inspired me to create some artwork.
Art prompt generator. Art Prompts is one of my favorite generators because you can choose various categories like characters, creatures, objects, situations, challenges, or the environment. For example, let’s say you click on the environment; my generated prompt was, “A mysterious cellar illuminated by torchlight. It is filled with barrels of wine and stored things.”
A memory from your childhood. Try to remember why you got started in this field or hobby. Maybe replicate one of your first projects you’ve created. Then, if you have the original you can put them side by side and see how much you’ve grown.
Biomes. Biomes are a collection of plants and animals that have distinct biological communities. This includes the ice cap, tundra, taiga, temperate forest, tropical rainforest, grassland, savanna, desert, and freshwater (lakes, rivers and wetlands.) This will be an excellent opportunity to research a different environment and create a project that was inspired by it.
Your favorite song. Try to experiment with different elements of your favorite song. Maybe create a project inspired by the lyrics, instruments, tempo, or singer.
Behance art challenges. Behance offers Photoshop and Illustrator daily creative challenges to inspire artists. This is an excellent opportunity to build your skills and join a community with connect with more artists. An example in the Adobe Photoshop Challenge would be, “Surreal Landscape. Combine photographs with Live Shapes to reveal a fantasy landscape.” Additionally, there’s daily live shows where you can ask questions.
Photoshop Daily Challenge
Illustrator Daily Challenge
Food. Create a project that was inspired by your least favorite food. It’s easy to focus on your favorite food but what about your least favorite? Think of the colors, textures, smells etc. to inspire you to create a project that emphasizes those elements.
A self-portrait. When was the last time you created a project that was inspired by yourself? Often artists rely on stock images or live models for inspiration. Try to use yourself as inspiration for your project. Maybe create a self-portrait of what you think you’ll look like in the future.
Don’t feel discouraged if you’re feeling creatively blocked. It’s completely normal and won’t last forever. Try not to force yourself to create something. Otherwise, you’ll risk yourself burning out, which isn’t good for your physical or mental health. Were you inspired to create an artistic project?
Edited by Emelyn Ehrlich