Today I'm struggling to find an image in my head for "red" that pulls me into writing. So maybe that's a chance to reflect on my process of creativity as I begin this exercise, exploring what makes these prompts work for my brain. One the reason the sketchdaily prompts appealed to me more than anything I found while searching "daily writing prompts" is because they are not writing prompts, but rather are chosen with visual art in mind. The first three days of this, that's what worked - I had a strong mental image in my head and was able to start working off that, deciding the direction the story might take as I went.
But I'm also remembering now that when I did #photoblog365, there were a few different paths my inspiration tended to take. As with this, it was easiest and most exciting when the theme immediately spurred a visual idea - a high-level blueprint for the layout of elements in the frame, a color contrast, a memory of something I walked by each day. Then I would plan my workday around making that photo (thank goodness for grad school giving me such flexibility with my schedule), getting together the people or objects I needed, getting to the right place at the right time of day, planning out the range of camera settings to try.
Sometimes, instead of visuals, the idea was driven by emotion - a feeling I wanted to capture, a life or world event I was struggling with, an opinion I needed a way to express, or something vulnerable I wanted to share. These too, felt like powerful sources of creativity.
Other days, the theme would sit in my head and wait for me to notice something as I went through my day. It felt a little like exploring, choosing to see something already in my world in a new light, or from a new perspective, looking for something related to the theme.
And then, there were the days when none of the above really happened. And sometimes the thing to do was just to take a photo of something vaguely related and try again tomorrow.