In These Parts, There's No Catch Up. Only Show Up.
Weekly Wonder Drop 003 | Week 3 PROMPTS #100DaysofWonder2024
In a world that is constantly shouting be more, make more, do more, get more, go faster, run harder, tick all the boxes, follow 52 and 3/4 steps by Tuesday or you are helplessly, hopelessly behind before you even begin… I’m calling an audible.
Hustle culture move allllll the way over. Further. Keep going. See the exit sign…. all the way out that door, thank you very much. And keep on going.
Around here we are more hush, less rush.
In this corner of the internet, you are never going to have to play catch-up. NEVER. Ever. Nope. Not happening.
No one is going to make you feel like you forgot to do your homework. Or that you need to cram for a test you didn’t know was happening. Or that you need to achieve a certain je ne sais quoi to sit at the cool kids’ table.
In full transparency, I googled jennasequa because I didn’t know how to spell it either.
In fact, in this space, it is impossible to catch up. Because YOU ARE NOT BEHIND.
Have you just now joined us? You are right on time.
Wait you haven’t done the week 1 prompts?!
No problem. Jump in with week 3… or 5 or 9 when we get there.
This is a you cannot get it wrong zone.
There’s no catch-up. Only show up. And. let. me. tell. you.
Showing up is brave work.
And my how you are showing up. For yourselves. For your creativity. For one another.
I am astounded by the beauty and bravery of your becoming.
Your courage and kindness is contagious. It matters. Maybe now more than ever.
For some of us, it is likely a few things are happening. If you’ve been going a few weeks already, you may be encountering the edges of: I’m loving this but man life is happening and I’m kinda a little tired too. Did I really commit to 100 days?
If that’s you… you are 5000% normal. I shared this on Instagram Friday but in case you missed it, I wanted to pop it in here too.
A Few Ways to Reset Your Creativity
When creating starts to feel overwhelming and heavy like a hard slog, these things help me so maybe a few of them might help you too. 👩🏻🎨
Realize you already have what you need inside of you. The “right” supplies can be things of joy, but your creativity can grow in ways you never imagined, even when you don’t have them.
Turn off your tech. Step away from the screen. Even this one.
Put everything away in your workspace. Then take out just what you need for the next thing.
Go outside or if you’re able and it’s safe to do so, open a window. Watch the clouds. Feel the wind.
Organize a drawer or a closet or a pocket. Bringing a little order can unleash so much momentum.
Change your candle fragrance. I’m seriously aesthetically motivated. This girl needs her emotional support candles (as coined by my friend @ashlynscarter)
Finish something. Anything. See, look, you did it! Create and celebrate all the small wins. Because they are actually huge.
Week 3: Weekly Wonder Drop
Everything we do here is a get-to. Not a have-to.
In weeks you need more space, do less.
In weeks you feel the wind in your sails, let it carry you.
What is one way you can practice resetting your creativity this week? Let us know in the comments below.
It’s so helpful to try creative routines before you need them. To lean into what feels like it works for you in the moment.
For example, I get overwhelmed easily when my space is chaotic. And it gets chaotic.
My simple practice is when I notice the overwhelm creeping in, I pause and check in with my space. I know if I just put everything away, that will help.
So I give myself permission to care for my creative wellbeing.
Housekeeping Notes
In this part of our Weekly Wonder Drop, I share updates and news to keep us all on track as a community. The practical things. Announcements. Upcoming events. Things to get excited about.
COMING UP
TUESDAY 03/05 is our OPEN STUDIO Check-in Chat Thread for our paid subscribers. It will go live around 12 PM EST and stay live until Friday morning. We will check in on it daily. This is the place for works in progress, questions, and general feedback on your work related to the 100 Days of Wonder.
THURSDAY 03/07 is our weekly SHARE & CELEBRATE Thread for everyone. It will go live at 10 AM EST and stay open until Saturday afternoon so you can post your favorite work from the week (related to the 100 Days of Wonder).
This is the last Weekly Wonder Drop that previews the Open Studio Extended Content for everyone. Starting next week only paid subscribers can access the extended content below.
If you’ve been waiting, this is your sign to upgrade to our paid subscription 😉.
For those who find value in the paid content and can support us by upgrading, you are literally the reason we can grow and build this community. I’ve been dreaming of this for years and can’t thank you enough for helping me make this my full-time job.
Can you imagine a movement of people finding their creative voices, connecting with the wonder that lives in the small moments, and coming together to share beauty and courage?
It’s the last thing I think of at night and the first thing on my heart in the morning.
If you are not ready to upgrade just yet, know that if and when you are, any content you miss will be waiting for you in the archives.
We have BIG things we are dreaming up and working towards this year. Thank you from the bottom of my heart.
If you are on Instagram and are comfortable doing so, please share your work with us there by using the #100daysofwonder2024 hashtag when you post.
All my love,
Content Below This Line is a Preview of the Kind of Content Paid Subscribers Receive. (It will be paywalled starting next week.)
This section includes behind-the-scenes content, the extended prompts, and a look at my process as I work through the prompts myself.
Our Extended Prompts
These are additional ideas you can create around or ways you can engage with the one-word prompts. They are meant to be diving boards into more of your own ideas.
Also, you can mix and match. There is no way to get these wrong. And it is more than ok to keep it simple or only do the prompts that speak to you and light you up.
Day 15: BLOSSOM
Sketch the lifecycle of a single flower as it goes from bud to full bloom
Blossoms falling like rain
Paint a blossom as a symbol of new beginnings
Create a mandala using various blossoms and floral elements.
Choose blossoms native to different parts of the world you have visited or that have meaning to you and use them to paint a bouquet
Day 16: COZY
Illustrate your ideal cozy reading nook or crafting corner
Sketch a patchwork quilt whose patches represent things that are comforting to you
Sketch out your favorite cozy beverages
Dream up an animal character and sketch them in their cozy home
Make a color palette that embodies coziness
Day 17: STONE
Create a series of sketches focusing on stones in different natural settings
You favorite gemstone. Sketch out meaningful facts about it. Is there a metaphor that speaks to you?
Imagine if stones could tell stories. What might that look like?
Find stones local to your area and use them to inpire a custom color palette
Sketch a stone bridge or arch
Day 18: BERRIES
Illustrate berries local to you
Imagine and create a whimsical fairy berry banquet
Paint your favorite baked treat made with berries
Berries in a bowl or on a plate as a still life
A color palette inspired by your favorite berries
Day 19: FLOW
Represent the flow of time
Illustrate what your creative flow state feels like
Dance or movement as flow
The flow of emotions painted with colors
Words flowing like water
Day 20: MOONLIT
Paint a night scene in moonlight
Moon and stars as a pattern
A garden by moonlight
The ocean under a full moon
A color palette inspired by a warm summer moonlit night
Day 21: ENCHANTED
Illustrate a mirror that reflects the essence of things
Some Enchanted Evening
An enchanted library with whimsical animals
A fairytale landscape
A color palette that feels enchanted
Behind the Scenes: Making Brave Art
I am so amazed by your bravery in showing up, diving into art mediums you have never tried before, and just going for it. You make ME braver.
Because you are trying so many new things, I want to join you in trying new art mediums and techniques. And in sharing work I might not have shared before our journey started.
I painted my first-ever tea bag, my first-ever horse, and my first-ever carousel horse all at once in this piece. It is so special because horses and carousels were 2 of my mama’s favorite things.
This photo is from the time I flew 36 hours all the way from Africa to surprise her on her 70th birthday.
Our art and creativity can be containers that let us process our pain as well as celebrate and cherish our most special moments.
Believe it or not, I have never painted a picture I didn’t sketch out first... Until now.
I’ve watched those magical gouache artists on YouTube and Instagram reels just putting paint down and it transforms into this luminous landscape without barely a line of sketching beforehand.
Y’all I have never been nervous to paint a landscape, but this is the first time I used gouache on its own without mixed media. It’s also the first time I tried painting from my imagination and I did it without drawing first.
I actually love it. I see some things I’ll change next time. But I am going to do way more of it. Because we are on the journey together and your brave makes me braver.
Your courage and kindness is contagious.
We need your creativity in the world. Your voice. Your beauty. Your raw edges. Your kindness. Your questions. Your first strokes. Your bold imperfection. Your messy middle. Your story. YOU.
We need the wonder you are.
You are irreplaceable.
With all my heart, Michele
PS. I’ve been working on creating a curated playlist of my favorite YouTube videos for learning to use watercolor that will come out next week.
Michele, You are such a beautiful writer. Thank you for your encouraging words. They mean a lot. Most of my life I have been a perfectionist. This affliction has stopped me in my tracks more times than I can count. I’d have to talk myself a lot to get past the imperfect (not perfect) bumps in whatever craft or sewing project I was working on. I still do this. In this challenge, I have found that the structure keeps me focused on creating and then finishing and then posting each daily piece. Then I can say to myself “I’m done. I learned something. It looks ok, now Iet’s start the next one.” I love this wonder habit you’ve created for us. Thanks. ❤️
I love these prompts. It gives me encouragement and something to look forward to every week. Will I still get the prompts for the 100 days if I am not a subscriber? I am retired and cannot afford to pay. Michele