Hello, fellow time travellers!

Are you longing for a bit of a solitary creative refuge in the middle of this quarantine?

Many of us continue to remain holed up in our homes across the globe. These many weeks of solitude (or sharing space without any breaks) leave us struggling with our sense of peace each day.

One of the ways I work with my writing groups to help ease anxieties and create space right now is through flash fiction using famous artworks as inspo.

My obsession with beauty, passion for museums, and love of storytelling led me to it, and students have adored the combo.

So, in celebration of art, support of museums, and an offering of solitary creative space, I’ll be posting a visual writing prompt each day along with light instructions to help guide you in this sweet process.

To kick things off, let’s go with Thomas Cole’s The Journey of Life: Youth. I love this painting for its ethereal quality and room to create your own interpretation. It hangs in the American National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C.

Be sure to take some time and linger on this beautiful painting in high definition and with a bit of historical context at: https://www.nga.gov/collection/art-object-page.52451.html

Instructions: Pick a character from the painting (or make one up) and lead them on a journey through it.

Things to consider: What do they discover? Who do they meet? Is there a conflict that makes this adventure a bit more exciting? Do they find what they thought they would?

Have fun writing! No pressure! No masterpieces needed! Just dream on paper. xo