Artful Haven

"Creativity takes courage." — Henri Matisse

Hi Reader,

Last weekend I sat down at my studio table with my art journal, a cup of tea, and absolutely zero ideas. You know that feeling? The pages were open, my acrylics were lined up like little soldiers waiting for orders, and my brain just went…

…blank.

So I did the only thing I know how to do when that happens. I looked out the window. There was that beautiful plant in my garden that has the most amazing orange-colored flowers. Now is the beginning of spring so there are only a few peeking out, but the color combination inspired me to try.

Oh. There you are, spring.

I created an art journal page inspired by those two colors. Just that. Twelve minutes, maybe. No grand plan, no "intentional composition". And I closed the journal feeling like I'd actually done something kind for myself.

The beautiful plant outside my studio

My art journal inspired by the two colors of the plant orange and green.

That little page is what reminded me to finish writing this — 50 Spring Art Journal Prompts. A whole list of starting points so the next time you sit down with that blank page, you don't have to stare at it the way I did (although I do recommend that).

My little 20-minute spring routine (steal it!)

If you only have one tiny pocket of time this week, here's what I'd do:

Make the tea (or coffee, or whatever feels like a small celebration). Bring it to your art journal.
Open to a fresh page. Don't read 50 prompts. Read three. Pick the one that gives you a tiny flutter and ignore the rest.
Put one color on the page. Just one. Soft pink, sage, butter yellow whatever your hand reaches for. Let it dry while you sip.
Add one mark, one word, a magazine cut-out, one tiny thing. That's it. Spring page, done. You can build on it later, or never, or tomorrow.

Twenty minutes. No big setup, no perfect plan, no proving anything. That's the whole secret of spring journaling for me. It is small, gentle, and often.

A few prompts I'm extra in love with from this list

There are 50 in the post, but here are five I haven't shared with you before the ones that made me put my pen down and grin while I was writing them:

🌸 Make a page full of tiny things that bring you comfort. Tea cup. a summer hat. The cat. Your favorite pen. Doodle them all in a happy little cluster.

🌸 Illustrate a recipe for spring. What ingredients would it include? Mine: 1 cup of warm sunshine, 2 tablespoons of hope, a pinch of birdsong, and one big handful of Joy

🌸 Draw a whimsical spring fairy or goddess and give her a name. Yes, this is permission to be ridiculous. Mine is named Petal and she's a chaos goddess of overgrown gardens.

🌸 Paint a scene called 'the first warm morning.' That moment you step outside in just a sweater for the first time all year. Capture that feeling in colors.

And there are more where those came from including watercolor sky washes, a tiny cottage scene with a character peeking out the window, painting your mood with no words, and a whole section on emotional wellbeing if your heart needs a quieter page this week.

👉 See all 50 spring prompts here

A little question to sit with

Before you close this email, hit reply (or just whisper it to your tea) and answer this:

What does the word "beginning" stir up in you right now? Is it excitement, fear, longing, resistance? Sit with it for a moment before you answer.

There's no wrong answer. Maybe it's all of those at once. Maybe one feeling is loud and the others are whispering underneath. Whatever comes up write it down somewhere today. Even on a sticky note. The act of naming it is half the magic.

Okay friend, that's it from me. Go put one color on one page this week. That's all I'm asking.

Big love,

Salwa

Artful Haven

P.S. If you looked at the prompts and found some more that you'd like to share with the Artful Haven family, please send them my way. We'd love to hear from you. 💕