Tag: personalblog

35 Journaling Prompts for Writers

~ Brooke F. ~ 10 Comments

I’m a big believer in the power of journaling. I say this as someone with like a gazillion empty journals around the house. Collecting them and writing in them are entirely different hobbies I believe (I’m sorry! They’re just so pretty I don’t want to mess them up!). However, I do think its important to have a place to dump your thoughts every now and then, especially if you’re a writer with a loud brain like mine. I may not do it as routinely as I probably should but I still think its good for everyone to sit for a moment and reflect whether its about the day, one’s identity, your loved ones, goals, or random intrusive thoughts. In summary, I think it’s a great way to process your feelings, work through tough times, and explore new ideas.

So I made a list. I love lists.

Now, to be clear, I wrote these prompts with writer’s in mind, however, the vast majority of them could apply to pretty much everyone so if you’re a non-writer and you’re looking for some prompts, feel free to steal some from the list below because they will probably work just as well for you. I give you permission to cherry-pick.

  1. What is your favorite part about writing?
  2. Why do you write?
  3. What do you like most about writing?
  4. Do you have any favorite characters or literary topics that you enjoy?
  5. Make a list of your favorite authors.
  6. Think about the things that make you happy. What might those be?
  7. Write about your favorite places to go.
  8. What is your most ideal writing space? How could you change your current one to reflect that?
  9. What’s your ideal writing schedule?
  10. Do you have a pre-writing ritual?
  11. Write about what you’ve learned from a difficult situation, or how you’ve grown from it—even if it was just a little bit.
  12. Write about something that’s bothering you, but is also good for you—maybe even give yourself some advice on how to get past it.
  13. What are some of your favorite quotes or sayings?
  14. Describe where you are in your life right now, and what you’re doing there—wherever that may be!
  15. Write about your favorite memories with your parents
  16. Describe your life in a few sentences
  17. What’s one thing you’re looking forward to this week?
  18. What are you thankful for in your life right now?
  19. What’s one thing that makes you feel good about yourself?
  20. What did you learn today?
  21. What’s something you need to let go of?
  22. What are your goals for the coming year?
  23. What are you scared of?
  24. What’s your favorite day of the week?
  25. Write about a dream you had last night/this morning.
  26. Do you ever wish you could go back and change the things that have happened in your life?
  27. What is one thing that makes you feel fulfilled?
  28. Write about the things that make you angry.
  29. Write a letter in your journal to someone who hurt you. What would you say?
  30. Write a letter to your favorite book character.
  31. Write a letter to your favorite author.
  32. How do you want to inspire someone else? How do you want your work to inspire others?
  33. Write about your favorite movie/book scene. Why was it good?
  34. How do you feel about your work overall? Are you proud of it?
  35. What is a piece of advice you’d give to a new writer?

Alrighty! I think that’s it for now! Happy journaling!

Columbus’s Stars

~ Brooke F. ~ 8 Comments

My small feet pattered up the steps as I made my down the stairs of my Grandparents’ rickety steps that led to a wide kitchen. The screen door creaked open, then snapped shut behind me as I continued to join my Grandfather on the porch.

Peeling paint pricked my toes and a chilly breeze nipped at my small ears. A perfect night for soup, as my mother would often say. Mother always loved soup.

 “Could you not sleep?” The lilting voice of my grandfather broke the night. There leaned against the railing, slightly bent, bearded, tan, and plump, my grandfather beckoned me over to lean with him. I accepted of course.

“You told me I could stay up late!” I accused. Surely, he hadn’t forgotten. Did he?

“Are you sure?” Grandfather leaned his head back and stroked in his beard as if he were deep in thought. “I don’t recall…”

“You said at dinner that I could come out and see the stars fall!” I informed him. Adults always thought they were so funny. And Grandfather often was but he didn’t need to know that.

Grandfather smiled at me and even though it was dark, I could still tell that his eyes are sparkling in amusement. I could hear it in his voice.

“Well, you did.” I finally concluded. Grandfather seemed satisfied with this and returned his gaze to the sky.

 All around, light streaked the sky. Mom often described stars “like diamonds on tapestry”. But these stars were not diamonds. They moved and danced across the sky, leaving a glowing pathway behind.

“What are they?” I found myself asking aloud. “Why can they go so fast?”

“Because they’re ships, Molly.”

My 10-year old self was aghast. “I thought they were fire? Burning fire and chemicals and stuff. I remember from our astronomy class at school.”

Grandfather shrugged. “That’s the boring answer. You already get a bunch of boring answers at school. Wouldn’t you like to hear a fun one for a change?”

“Even if its not true?” I was very concerned with the truth, even as a 10-year old.

“Good stories often aren’t.”

I was fortunately intrigued. “Tell me about the ships then.”

Grandfather’s eyes shut as he began to imagine. “Ships often travel in big groups. You’ve learned that in school, right?”

“Of course!” I responded, eager to demonstrate my knowledge on the matter. “They’re called fleets. The Pilgrims traveled in one to America.”

Grandfather seemed entertained by the Pilgrims remark, half smiling as I came to the end of my sentence, but he would not be sidetracked. “Look out then, M. What you see is a fleet. Ship after ship passing by.”

I still wasn’t fully sold on the idea. “And why do they glow white then?”

 “That’s their sails of course,” responded my grandfather. “Sails that reflect and are powered by pure moonlight.”

“And where are they going?”

Grandfather shrugged. “Who knows. I reckon it’s not for us to know.”

A beat of silence ensued as I wrapped my mind around the idea. I didn’t believe it and the both of us knew it wasn’t true, but perhaps that was what made it a fun idea. It was so utterly impossible. Then I was struck with another thought.

“What about shooting stars?” I wondered. “What are they?”

“They’re ships too,” Grandfather said, now a little more quietly. “The ones left behind and lost.”

This thought saddened me.

“Maybe they’re explorers. Like Columbus. I learned that in school too.”

Grandfather opened his eyes and leaned back to look at the sky. “Maybe so, M. Maybe so.”

Summer Art Review

~ Brooke F. ~ 7 Comments

Hello everyone!

One thing I alluded to in some of my life update posts is that I have new art that I am very excited to share. Most of it is digital edits that involve a lot of photoshop and less coloring/drawing (But still fun and artsy nonetheless). So I decided that this post would contain my new digital pieces that I’ve created over the last couple of months. I’ve been trying to focus a lot on portraits and faces more than anything. Hope my practice has paid off and you enjoy!

This is an digital edit portrait I did of my friend Megan over at Megan’s Musings. Really happy with how this one turned out!

This is another mixture of a photo edit/art piece. Certain parts of the piece like the face and some of the hair are drawn while other parts I edited and blended into the piece. The base picture is one that I took myself and used for reference.
This is another edit/art piece where I took the photo I used as a reference myself except I did a lot more drawing for this piece than I did the other one. Perhaps in another post I can share the original photos vs. the art pieces but I’m not sure if people would be interested in that. Regardless, that is a post for another day!
This is a photoshop portrait I did of my friend Becca! This is one where I really struggled with the hair and background but I’m pretty okay with how it came out.
This is another photoshop portrait I did of my younger sister. I would love to redo the background but I think by the time I was getting close to finishing, I was simply ready to be done. I’m sure many of you artists out there understand the feeling.
I really enjoyed playing with colors in this edit. The Original was a photo my sister took this time of me playing in chalk. It turned out super cute.

And that’s it for now! I have some traditional pieces that I may also share in the future but I was mostly excited to share my digital pieces this time around. Thanks for checking them out! And if you like what you see round here, maybe consider dropping a follow or a comment below! I’d love to hear your thoughts!

Alrighty! That’s it for now! Talk to you later, lovelies!

Aesthetics that I really love Pt.3

~ Brooke F. ~ 9 Comments

I promised. When I make a promise I will never ever break that promise.

…especially when it comes to making these posts. I sorry, I’m just a helpless pinterest girl.

1. Koicore

This is an aesthetic I sort of made up awhile back. Basically it’s characterized by a love of fish, lilypad-esque color schemes, and an emphasis placed upon reducing plastic use. Yaknow, cute stuff like that.

I separated the aesthetic into two types….White Koicore and Green Koicore. I even made a little graphic showing the visual differences between the two.

Cute, right?

Anyways here are a few more mood boards just in case you don’t entirely get the gist just yet.

2. Persephone

Kind of proud of the name I came up with for this one. Basically this aesthetic is botanical gothic. It is characterized by statues covered in ivy, a heavy mist hanging about a garden, and pomegranates of course. Perfect for when you’re feeling girly and feral at the same time.

3. Lady Detective

Lord have mercy, I am an absolute sucker for this aesthetic. I couldn’t find any other fitting name for it to be entirely honest. But surely I can’t be the only one who lives vicariously through this aesthetic? Surely? Its the perfect mix of vintage and adventurous that just makes me oh-so-happy. Alas, I blame my obession with Nancy Drew as a child.

4. Jaded

The perfect mix of luxurious and dark, Jaded is an aesthetic that is characterized by royal imagery as well as the color pairing of green and gold. Examples can be seen below!

5. Stainglass

There is something magical about stain glass windows. The shimmery, colored says of light that stream through the glass onto altars and pews evoke a such a positive and peaceful feeling. So it’s no wonder that I’m drawn to such an aesthetic as this.

I was sad to find through a few pinterest searches that this aesthetic is severely underrated/barely exists if at all. So I, of course, had to remedy that. I created a new section in my Aesthetics pinterets board and got to work. This aesthetic I think would be characterized by Renaissance-type imagery and fashion. Pearls, harps, lutes, candles, crosses, gold, tapestries, and tunic tops seemed to suit this aesthetic nicely.

I doubt this aesthetic will catch on however, I hope a few pinterest girls who have a thing for medieval inspired fashion and the Renaissance era can appreciate the few moodboards I’ve created.

And I think that just about wraps up our little aesthetic-round up though, if we’re being completely honest here, I’m probably going to continue this series as more novel aesthetic concepts pop into my head or onto my pinterest feed. There is no end in sight! See ya’ll soon!

Tips for Artists & Keeping Motivated

~ Brooke F. ~ 8 Comments

While I generally enjoy populating my blog with tips for writers primarily, from the few art posts I have on my blog, you can probably tell that I dabble a bit in the realm of drawing both digitally and traditionally. It is not a source of income for me nor do I ever really plan on it being however, I still find myself in a much better mood having created something that appeals to my eyes (for the most part. Every artist knows you must create an abomination every now in then to keep thinks spicy).

So, all that being said, I felt like it would be fun to make a little “tips and tricks” post for my fellow artists out there for keeping motivated to draw and create even when you feel like you’re not improving or find yourself in a rut creatively.

1. It’s okay to have a pretty scuffed sketchbook.

I know first hand the discouragement that Pinterest drawing journal inspo can produce. On one hand, I feel inspired to create such beautiful pieces myself! On the other, it can cause me to obsess over the “cleanness” and perfection of not just my individual sketches but the state of my sketchbook itself. And, like I often say over here on my blog, perfectionism can be one of the biggest obstacles an artist must overcome. So take heart, artists with beat-up and banged-up sketchbooks! It is totally fine to have a collection of drawings with a few “scrap” pages and maybe a few coffee stains on the cover. Actually, I’ve found that I often draw more when I have a slightly scuffed sketchbook as it prevents me from being nervous about messing up the book with a less than perfect sketch.

2. Draw, Draw, Draw. Quantity (mostly) over Quality.

Just like with writing, often skill comes overtime with the production of a lot of creations. This is the whole practice makes perfect phenomenon. Not that you shouldn’t try of course. Keep trying, by all means. But try not to get all caught up in creating the perfect piece now.

3. Not every art tip you find online will apply to you.

This is another important thing to note when you’re an artist with an internet connection. You have an endless supply of lists of “Do’s and Don’t” that you should follow when drawing. However, while it is good to at least CONSIDER these tips when making your own art, you probably shouldn’t follow every single one. Certain things are creative decisions and a piece that follows all the “rules” can sometimes feel boring or devoid of creativity.

4. Practice the things you struggle with.

I don’t like this tip but once I decided that I was going to draw a hand every day for a month, I saw a huge (though gradual) improvement with my ability to do so. Now that’s a pretty intense solution that I don’t think everyone should do, but I think you get the idea. Try not to avoid things that you struggle with and feel you aren’t good at it. Not that you have to now make your living as a hand-sketcher but it really pays off to put extra practice into those artistic pet-peeves you have whether it be drawing hands, eyes, people, animals, etc.

5. It takes time to find your style.

Not to mention it also evolves constantly. That’s alright though. That’s actually good because if you weren’t changing, you wouldn’t be improving in the slightest. Remember, change is (usually) good.

And I think that’s about it! Thanks for dropping by and reading! Also feel free to let me know in the comments section below of what tips really helped you as an artist! I’d love to hear them!

And I’m outta here! Bye!

The Disappearance of a Blogger

~ Brooke F. ~ 1 Comment

Brooke: Sorry I’ve been gone for a month! I’ll post a life update soon!

Also Brooke: *Disappears for another month*

Ahem….so anyways! Thanks for sticking with me through this busy summer. I honestly did not expect it to be as eventful as it turned out (in a good way of course). But as a result, my once somewhat established blogging schedule is a little off-kilter. Which for the time being I’m somewhat alright with seeing as how I think I can get it back on track as I start back to college in the coming weeks (it’s much sooner than ever thought. Time flies!). But, regardless, I still miss posting regularly and at least wanted to do a quick life update for all 3 of my blog readers (perhaps I’m being a bit generous).

As many (3) of you are probably aware, the majority of my time has been devoted to my summer internship which has been going swimmingly as they say. I enjoy the work, albeit pretty exhausting work. I do a lot of field research and data gathering so I’m out in the sun for about 30+ hours a week and with the heat wave we’ve had this summer, I’ve found myself rather drained at the end of the day after sweating my brains out. But it’s definitely not all bad. In fact, I’ve quote enjoyed the experience and the variety in tasks that I get to do at work.

And, very honestly, a lot of my exhaustion may simply be in part that this is my first consistently full-time job. I’ve worked full time hours before at other places prior to this, but not on a regular basis. Really I think a lot of my tired can be contributed to everyone’s favorite words: change and adjustment.

Ugh. Sorry to give you cold-chills like that.

Anyway, as I alluded to in the earlier paragraphs of this post, I will be starting back to school however. I am actually looking forward to this semester as my schedule looks a little lighter class-wise so I’m hoping to squeeze in some nice hobby time somewhere in there. At this moment I have a masterlist of posts that I’ve wanted to write these past months that I simply haven’t gotten to so I am delighted at the thought of slowly making my way through said list. I’ve also got a butt-load of digital art that I want to share with you guys as well!

Basically, don’t worry friends! I am not, in fact, dead. Good things are coming!

And I think that will wrap this post up for now! How has your summer been? Despite being on busier side this summer, I rarely find myself lacking time to read comment!

Have a lovely day!

Steampunk Writing Prompts

~ Brooke F. ~ 10 Comments

Hahaha I’m gonna pretend it hasn’t been like a month since I’ve posted. I will probably type up a quick life update/overview post soon but for right now, I’m just gonna post this real quick. I’m excited to hopefully get a few more posts out seeing as how I took an impromptu month break without meaning too (oopsy daisy!) but I do have lots to talk about now that I’m back. I’ve gotten settled into my internship position, have gone on vacation, seen the ocean for the first time ever, and am now feeling refreshed and ready to write!

Phew! That was a lot. I have been gone for a month after all so I’ve been saving it all up I guess. Anyways, onto the prompts!

★Nightstalker  

An city’s industrial economy begins to grow. Thousands of new factories are built and a heavy smog begins to coat the city, cloaking it in darkness despite the time of day. The people did not mind this until they realized the 24/7 lack of light attracted something…. 

★Victorian Avengers  

I don’t see why a steampunk city can’t have super heroes. Weave a tale of Victorian crime fighters. 

★Botanical Apocalypse  

As the industrial revolution begins, nature begins to fight against man’s machinery in an act of revenge and rebellion.  

★A Girl and her Goggles 

A girl steals a pair of goggles from a family member only to find a new perspective. The sight of ghosts and spirits passed greet her as she explores her home city and figures out what in blazes is going on?! 

★A Fox made of Cogs 

An boy who grew up in a forest far away from the city gets a job as an inventor in a bustling, Victorian metropolitan area. He accepts his fate but cannot shake this feeling of homesickness for the woods. So, in his spare time, he assembles together mechanical forest creatures, the most special and clever of them being the Fox. So, when the inventor is murdered, it is not wonder the Fox wishes to solve the case and enact revenge.  

★The Age of Dragons

The time of draconian domination has all but passed at the time of the industrial revolution. And yet many still survive, learning to cope with this cruel world that man has manufactured. Some have even managed to thrive. Some choose to befriend humans while others slink back into the sewers and abandoned factories and wait….

I Review an Obscure Art App

~ Brooke F. ~ 13 Comments

Hey, everyone! Thank goodness it’s the weekend. I started a new job recently as I’m sure some of you have heard about via a blog post of me basically saying “Haha I’m tired because of work so sorry but there will be less posts hahaha”.

But it’s Saturday! And this post has been something I’ve wanted to share and talk about for a week or two now but just haven’t found the time to really MAKE it. Honestly, this post isn’t quite like a normal one for me. I usually splash my blog with writing related posts, a few personal posts, and maybe a FEW art posts here and there but writing seems to be my real bread and butter. I haven’t really had any inspo for writing prompts or tips though so HERE WE ARE.

Wow, that’s a lot of backstory without any real context to the specifics of what I’m talking about. Apologies. Getting to the point is not always my strength. What was I talking about again?

Oh yeah!

I found an interesting though slightly obscure art app that I wanted to talk about with ya’ll. It’s called Wombo Dream. It is an AI art tool that generates pieces based off of your “prompts” which tend to consist of a few keywords and phrases. It’s a fascinating tool and I’ve played with it on and off for a few weeks now. I think the best way to really explain this AI and how it works is to share with you some of the results I got while using it as well as the prompts I used.

The prompt for the image above was “Circus Tent” and, as you can see, the results are pretty trippy yet also recognizable. Let’s try another!

The prompt for this guy was “cozy coffee shop”. You can definitely see it, even if not everything in the picture is completely identifiable.

The prompt for this one was “Rivendell” which is a location from Lord of the Rings. I can recognize this one really well, especially with that waterfall in the background.

The Prompt for this one was “Emerald Castle”. You can really see the AI doing its best here to create a structure that resembles as such.

You might be able to tell the prompt for this one already, but in case this structure doesn’t seem at all familiar to you, the prompt that I used was “Tardis Castle.” As in, the Tardis from Doctor Who.

This one is definitely a little vague but hopefully it seems recognizable when I tell you the prompt. The prompt was “The Twelve Dancing Princesses”. I can see them twirling in a group here, their skirts swirling round them creating such an appealing composition for the image. It’s crazy to think that an AI generated this!

I think you get the idea now so I’m going to stop explaining the prompts and just show you a little showcase of other beautiful images I got from using this tool. Let me know in the comments if you recognize any of them!

I know this was sort of an odd post but hopefully you found yourself just as fascinated as I was upon finding out about this app. Just the idea that a AI tool could create things that look so familiar has such neat implications. Will there be a time when this AI is perfected so well that It will be hard to tell the difference between AI art and human art? I don’t know but until then, I definitely encourage you to check out this art tool. Not only is it fun to play around with, but it might be good for art inspiration or even writing inspiration for when you have a fictional place but aren’t sure how to exactly describe it.

Oke doke! I think that’s about it! Thanks for sitting through my rambling review of an obscure art app.

Take care!

Awkward Blogger Award

~ Brooke F. ~ 5 Comments

Hello everyone! You’ve read the title so I’m pretty sure you have an idea of what to expect. Is it any surprise that I got nominated for this? Special thanks to Amy over at Procrastiwriter for nominating me! Now, on to the rules!

★Rules★

  • Thank the blogger who nominated you
  • Include the graphic and rules in your post
  • Answer the 5 awkward questions:
  • 1. What are three words you find boring?
  • 2. Finish this line: “I feel awkward because…”
  • 3. What’s the last thing you thought about before the thought you’re thinking now?
  • 4. Have you ever gone to give someone a high five and you guys missed?
  • 5. Why is being awkward awesome?
  • Leave an open nomination for all the other awkward bloggers out there!

Now it’s time to answer these questions and rather awkwardly I might add…

  1. What are three words you find boring?

Hands down “brown”. I love the color but did they really didn’t have to do it dirty by making it sound like that.

“Aloe”. This word sounds stupid. I don’t know why. This could definitely be a me thing.

“Data”. Such a bland word for small informational tidbits. No personality if you ask me. And no, I’m not telling you the criteria I used to make this list (definitely not because I don’t even know it myself….)

2. Finish this line: “I feel awkward because…”

I don’t know how to do small talk. I suck at it. Period. I can’t think of things to say that are socially acceptably shallow. Someone talks to me about the weather, and my brain automatically thinks something like “You think THIS weather is bad? Well I heard it rain glass on Uranus SIDEWAYS.”

3. What’s the last thing you thought about before the thought you’re thinking now?

I am currently drinking a milkshake. So, clearly, I was think something like “Why is this so hard to suck up?? I shouldn’t have to use a spoon for this. Am I defective?”

4. Have you ever gone to give someone a high five and you guys missed?

This is a way of life for me. In fact, I notice the high-fives that I actually ACHIEVE because they’re so rare. Eh, maybe my depth perception is bad. Idk. Just remember, ya gotta own every high five you miss and every time you trip. Laugh at yourself every now and then.

5. Why is being awkward awesome?

I think on some sort of innate level, we are all awkward. And I think realizing this is, ironically, what helps people become less awkward. The thing is, life isn’t a movie. We do dumb things that have no significance to our life “plot” and often cringe at certain things we’ve done. If you haven’t, I would ask “ARE YOU AN ALIEN OR SOMETHING???”.

Ahem.

What I mean is I think being awkward is awesome because once we realize that we all don’t really know what we’re doing and own it, this opens the doors for people to come to you and say “Hey, I don’t know what’s going on either.” The best thing about being awkward is we are all awkward on some level and do so together.

So! Final words! Go forth and be awkward! Be yourself! And, hopefully, in doing so, make someone else feel a little less alone!

And that’s where I’m gonna wrap it up. Ciao!


Aesthetics that I really love Pt.2

~ Brooke F. ~ 5 Comments

And so the series continues. As I continue making these posts, I am coming to the realization that I could probably make a blue-zillion of these. So, if you one day click on my blog and see a post titled “Aesthetics that I really love pt.10292093”, mind your own business or at the very least humor me.

A little note, some of these aesthetics are not as well known, in part due to the fact, some I am purely making up. Dark Academia and Cottagecore appeared in the previous post and I am sure are recognized by many, and rightly so (they are lovely). However, I am just as eager to share some obscure or completely made up aesthetics with you readers!

So, with that disclaimer out of the way, let’s look as some aesthetics!

Unicore

As the name suggests, this aesthetic is based off of the mythical creature, the Unicorn. There have been various iterations of this aesthetic over time that is hallmarked by bright pink and rainbows, I, however, prefer the more “magical” version of Unicore (I don’t know if that’s officially the name. I just thought it sounded cool), the version that has a more opal-y appearance and is complimented by gold. That feels like a true unicorn.

Shakespearcore

This aesthetic feels like an infusion of Renaissance, Dark Academia, and Botany. It has a distinctly dreamy feel while also feeling a little gothic. I love how this aesthetic marries those traits together perfectly while throwing in a little bit of romance and adventure. What’s not to love?

Botanical Wonderland

Okay, full disclosure, this one I’m pretty sure I made up. I’m uncertain if I entirely made up the previously mentioned aesthetics on this list but this one I’m pretty certain about. I’m really not sure where the inspiration came from. I never even really liked “Alice in Wonderland” as a book (it was rather weird in my opinion) but I still really loved the designs of many of the creatures and places in the story. I think this aesthetic is born from my desire to see a friendlier wonderland. A greener one. One that is essentially just a magical garden.

Snow White and Rose Red

Again, another one I’m fairly certain I made up. It was based off of a Pinterest board I made for one of my favorite fairytales called “Snow White and Rose Red”. The aesthetic is punctuated by medieval style/inspired clothes and red’s and white’s as you can see.

Boho

What can I say? I love flowy skirts and the outdoors (despite being deathly allergic to one of those things). While this is an aesthetic I shall probably never embody, I always thought it was pretty and admired the air of freedom it seemed to have. Despite the fact that I will probably never have room with that many well kept plants or fully commit to the flowy shorts and skirts life, I still really really love this aesthetic.

And I think that concludes part 2 in this post series! Without a doubt, be on the look out (eventually) for a part 3. See ya’ll in the next post!