Creative Every Day Theme for January: Dark
December 30th, 2012
At the end of each month I will announce the totally optional theme for the following month. For the month of January 2013, the theme will be Dark.
As always, this month's theme for the Creative Every Day Challenge is totally optional. Use it if it inspires you, continue being creative every day in your own way if it doesn't, or do something in between. You can sign up for the 2013 Creative Every Day Challenge anytime. More info can be found here and the sign-up page is here.
I'll be posting about the theme throughout the month on the blog to help keep you inspired. You can use the posts here for jumping off points or interpret the theme in your own creative way. If you need some suggestions, here are a few ideas to get you started. You could:
- *Start with a dark surface, by drawing or painting on black paper or a black canvas.
- *Work with shadows in your writing or art.
- *Take time to imagine in a dark space or just close your eyes. Or work by candlelight!
- *Work in deeper, darker shades.
- *Focus your creations on the night sky.
- *During the darker, colder months, I like to get crafty and decorate. What craftiness could you get up to this month?
- I also love to fill the colder months with warm soups, are there any warm, comforting meals you'd like to try out?
How to use the CED themes:
If you're feeling creatively stuck or blocked at any point during the month, use the theme as a source of inspiration to get you moving. Feel free to focus on the theme in your creative activities for the entire month or as much as you'd like.
Using the theme is entirely optional for CED participants. Use it if it inspires you, ignore it if it doesn't. I'll be sharing posts throughout the month around the theme (among other things) to get you thinking about how to incorporate it into your life. I'd love to hear how you use the theme in your creative world.
And have fun with it!
Someone I loved once gave me a box full of darkness. It took me years to understand that this too, was a gift. ― Mary Oliver
p.s. The art above is adapted from Ophelia available here.
23 Responses
My morning prayer blog is my main creative outlet every morning. It sets my day on a positive track. The month of December I also made 20 small 6×8 jean fabric flags and used an arrow template and acrylics to create flags e.g. Celebrate Silence, Celebrate Love, Celebrate Annie’s smile. Thank you for offering this venue to share and to encourage my creativity. On to Dark.
Posted by: Barbara Schwaratz | Dec 31, 2012 at 1:30 am |
Great choice for Jan.! I think most people are uncomfortable with dark. Wondering what I will create this month myself using dark as a theme.
Posted by: Susa Hemann | Dec 31, 2012 at 8:48 am |
Hello Leah! I will be joining you again this year. My new year’s resolution is to continue making creativity a routine rather than, a treat. I wish you and all your following a blessed and creative year. Cheers!
Posted by: Angela | Dec 31, 2012 at 12:34 pm |
I just happened to find this on New Year’s Eve. Ready for the challenge!
Posted by: Sandra Jessop | Dec 31, 2012 at 10:28 pm |
Leah,
Thank you so much for the opportunity to join your creative tribe.
I need the gentle nudge to keep me on my creative path.
I just joined your “creative every day” and sighed up twice. I had a change of heart with how I named my listing and would like to keep number 736 with the name of “whatwecreate” and have 735 (Eydie) deleted.
Much Love and Light,
Eydie
Posted by: Eydie | Jan 1, 2013 at 6:15 am |
Wow – yep, what Susie said, I am currently not comfortable with dark. But I’ll give it a shot. I need to go there at some point, and what better way than through art.
Looking forward to seeing your posts on the matter.
Posted by: Olivia | Jan 1, 2013 at 8:26 am |
I joined in for November’s AEDM2012 and painted on painting each day of November– and it was one of the best things that I have ever done for myself and my art! I signed up for CED2013 to transform my art practice. I have an art journal ready to go with 12 sheets of watercolor: 1 for each month, the plan is to work on the paper daily with quotes, doodles, drawings, paintings, collage, mixed media stuff. I’ll have one crazy layered representation of the month in a piece of art. I’m so excited!
Posted by: Kat | Jan 1, 2013 at 3:12 pm |
Beautiful art Leah! I love the dark and Winter, dusk is so magical as I look out at the forest and the evening mists, so poetic!
Posted by: kat | Jan 1, 2013 at 6:26 pm |
Loved your process for this month’s challenge Leah ~ beginning with darkness and moving on from there has such a therapeutic process to it. I loved beginning with a dark night sky myself and then bringing it to life with magickal imagery to create an enchanting scene. Thanks so much for the inspiration (and therapy)!
Best~
♥Sharon
Posted by: Plumrose Lane | Jan 2, 2013 at 7:50 pm |
Just found your site through a Interest pin. Can’t wait to join in the fun!
Posted by: Hope Martin | Jan 2, 2013 at 8:44 pm |
Hi everybody. I am from Russia. It is my first time when I try to create in a team of English-speaking people. If I don’t understand something, please, teach me)))
Dark is a hard team for me, but I have tried it. Hope I will be able to show you my work soon.
Posted by: Victoria Kamalova | Jan 3, 2013 at 4:23 pm |
Dark was hard for me too Victoria. http://stamplaughplay.blogspot.com/2013/01/dark-challenge.html
I had to add a little light to mine.
Posted by: Boo | Jan 6, 2013 at 7:08 pm |
Oh, I love the theme DARK. I didn’t notice it until today, so I didn’t create along the theme last week, but will definitely keep it in mind this week.
I also love, love, love the Mary Oliver quote. It is incredible… and so true to me as well.
Posted by: Julie Jordan Scott | Jan 7, 2013 at 12:29 am |
I’ve been creating every day this year. Love it! I have not done a dark project, perse, but I do have some things that could be put in that category that I will be sharing as soon as I upload the photos to my blog page. In the meantime, I’ve posted the artist trading cards for swaps I entered. http://studiomaux.blogspot.com
Posted by: Maux | Jan 7, 2013 at 1:34 pm |
I’ve been seeing your badge on the sidebar of many of my friends’ blogs. Most of them are painters, so I figured it was visual arts exclusive. I’m glad I decided to stop by and read… I’ve just joined. I shall bring some of my dark words soon
Posted by: Magaly Guerrero | Jan 15, 2013 at 2:54 am |
Just wanted to post to let you know I am jumping in and planning to be Creative Every Day in 2013!
I know I am a few days behind, but will work to catch up!
Blessings!
Lula
Posted by: Lula Pomme | Jan 15, 2013 at 6:29 pm |
So delighted to come across this challenge! I’m very excited to share with others as we learn from and inspire each other
Posted by: Victoria Stefani | Jan 17, 2013 at 1:00 am |
[...] Creative Every Day’s theme this month is “dark.” I don’t like darkness (literal, metaphorical, or whatever kind) but I’ve been forced into it enough that I’m not uncomfortable in it. I can navigate it and help other people through it. It’s always there anyway, there’s no escaping it. [...]
Posted by: Facing the darkness « joyfulwise | Jan 23, 2013 at 11:59 am |
I want to join up again this year! It’s taken me a little while to get back into the swing of things since I had my fourth baby but I’m itching for the creative challenge again! Thanks Leah for creating this space and motivation!
Posted by: Rebecca | Jan 24, 2013 at 2:50 pm |
[...] and Writer’s writing prompt The Time is Now as well as the theme “Dark” from the Creative Everyday Challenge. The illustration is one of my monoprints entitled, “Liquid Darkness”. It’s [...]
Posted by: Darkness « Art and the Everyday | Jan 25, 2013 at 10:05 pm |
Hi, I found out about this group from Effy Wild’s post about Dark on her blog. I really enjoy having a variety of opportunities to create, and it is my word for 2013! So of course I joined the Creative Everyday flickr group and posted my image for Dark. I made it yesterday just for fun and I get to use it here! How cool is that? ~Stephie
Posted by: Blueberry Blonde | Jan 29, 2013 at 2:42 pm |
I am glad to find you and participate along with all of you this year. I started with DARK, although I joined late in Jan and did the work in February. In my old photo class, we learned that Black is the absence of color and white is all colors, in LIGHT of course. But in paint, I get black when I mix all the colors together, or something Dark, anyway. And without one, there is no other of the two in any part of life.
I am looking forward to this challenge for February now. Winter is dark and cold and I am soooo ready for light and warmth!
Posted by: Lin | Feb 3, 2013 at 11:57 am |
I loved doing Dark and have uploaded my take on our Flickr group. I found it has opened up new doors for me and so a huge thanks to Leah for spurring me on, am so excited!
Posted by: Elvina | Feb 7, 2013 at 5:31 am |