Nature-Inspired Mindful Art Prompts
Photo by Ashley Frye with Of Breath and Bone
Mindfulness practices combined with creative expression (painting, drawing, journaling, dance, etc.) help sharpen skills of observation, insight, and emotional awareness.
Taking the time to connect with nature through your five senses—look, listen, feel, smell, and in some cases, taste the parts of nature around you—gives you the opportunity to connect with yourself and the world around you in an embodied way, as you ponder and learn from the wisdom of nature.
Practicing mindfulness in nature can also be profoundly helpful for grounding into the present moment, connecting with spirituality, and gaining clarity of insights that are full of wisdom, truth, and guidance.
Art making and/or journaling can be especially helpful because it acts as a container for your thoughts, feelings, and curiosities, and invites you to slow down, witness, and appreciate what is around you that promote clarity.
Prompt 1: A Monochromatic World
Pretend everything in the world was all different shades of just one color. What color would you want the world to be? Why?
If you yourself could be any color you wanted in this monochromatic world, what color would you want to be? Why?
Did you pick a color that will blend into the surroundings or one that makes you stand out?
Paint a picture of this world with you in it. What elements of nature are included in your drawing?
Did you paint what you observed from nature around you, a different place you have been to before, or did you draw a completely new and imaginative place?
Prompt 2: A Conversation with Mama Nature
If you could say anything to Mother Nature, what would you say? How would you say it?
How do you think Mother Nature would respond?
Paint a picture that represents this conversation. (Note: it may not need any words!)
Prompt 3: Mindful Moment with Your Five Senses
Take a walk while mindfully observing all aspects of nature around you. Pause for a moment in a place that feels comfortable to you.
Focus on one aspect in nature that catches your attention. It can be as small as a raindrop on a leaf or as expansive as all of the clouds in the sky above.
Create a painting that captures this experience. Consider what/how your five senses witness and connect with nature around you.
Prompt 4: Changing Your Surroundings
Part 1 - Find a quiet spot. Sit and close your eyes, take a few deep breaths. Turn your attention inward. Ask yourself, how are you feeling?
Journal, write a poem, or create a painting that expresses the thoughts and emotions that arise.
Part 2 - Walk around, until you find a noisier spot in a new location. Sit and close your eyes, and take a few deep breaths. What sounds do you hear? Are they calming noises or distracting noises?
Journal, write a poem, or create a painting about your emotions and thoughts that arise.
Reflect: Which was easier to create? The one with background noise, or the one where you had more silence? Which surrounding influenced you more? In what ways?
