How to Use a Prompts List
Over on my Facebook community Watercolor With Bronwyn, we sometimes use prompts lists. In years past, the official list for World Watercolor Month has resonated pretty well with people. This year, however, group members really struggled to connect with the prompts. So, what to do? I’m going to suggest a few ways that you can use a prompts list for inspiration even when you don’t find it … inspiring.
Use a Dictionary or Thesaurus
English is weird. Many of our words have multiple meanings. There are a lot of words that are both nouns and verbs. For example, July first’s prompt “train” had a lot of people stumped. Several told me “I don’t want to paint a train!” Well, I didn’t either, so I thought about alternate meanings for the prompt. How about “train” as a verb instead of a noun? Hmmm. Gardeners train vines to grow up trellises. There are topiaries, bonsais and espaliered trees. Now THAT was the kind of train that inspired me! So I did a sketch of all the garden themes that came to mind and then chose the one I liked best. The bonsai. Because I didn’t stop at the first definition that came to mind, I was able to stick with the prompt AND paint something I was excited about — no locomotives required!
Here are just a few options presented on Thesaurus.com for the word TRAIN that are not at all railroad-y:
NOUN: caravan, convoy, procession
VERB (prepare): teach, care for, coach, shape, tame
VERB (aim at): focus, direct, get in one’s sights, zero in
Do an Image Search
Don’t mistake this for an invitation to copyright infringement. But sometimes it’s helpful to simply browse images related to your topic. When I search “train”, some really beautiful landscapes that have trains in them come up. If you use these pictures as your prompts, your inspirations feature wide ravines spanned by gorgeous old railroad bridges. Maybe a train is seen puffing steam into the blue sky or maybe the tracks are empty. Either way, it’s a far cry from a painting of A Train.
Don’t Be Literal
Staying with our “train” example, you could paint a picture of a dog because a dog is something that you train. Or a dog biscuit because it’s something you use when training a dog. Nobody is grading you on your perfect adherence to a casual prompts list. Let yourself do a little free association. Something that’s even tangentially related to the prompt is fine!
Combine it With Something You Do Like
Maybe you don’t like painting trains but you DO like painting flowers. Do your feelings about the prompt change if you paint a train carrying a load of flowers? What about a boxcar with flower graffiti painted on the side? What about a train engine made of flowers? A lot of the artistic process happens inside your head. Get in there and play around.
Ditch the List
Sometimes, you just caaaan’t feel it. It’s ok. Just don’t let an uninspiring prompt stop you from painting. Ditch the prompt and paint what you want!
Still stuck? I’ll make suggestions about cultivating creativity and inspiration in future posts.
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