Your March Creativity Mini-Challenge + New, Exclusive Short Story by Me!
A quick, 5-minute creative hit to take you into the weekend
Hello, Protagonists! In this post, you’ll find:
🤓 What I’m Reading This Week
🎉 5-minute Creativity Mini-Challenge
✍🏼 A new short story by me (published exclusively here on CREATIVE. INSPIRED. HAPPY)
📸 Where is the photo from?
🤓 What I’m Reading This Week
Orbital by Samantha Harvey - (novel, literary fiction) - I loved the poetic prose of this story about six astronauts aboard the International Space Station. Part character study, part beautiful writing, part philosophy, and part love letter to our planet, I understand why it won the Booker Prize last year.
“The Hottest Thing in Fashion Advertising? Books” - (article, Wall Street Journal) - Finally! Being smart is cool! From Cindy Crawford’s daughter to Dua Lipa to Prada and Saint Laurent, physical books are back in vogue. (see what I did there?)
🎉 Your March Creativity Mini-Challenge
It’s a common myth that creativity has to be a huge undertaking. I actually believe we can spark it with just small moments, and anyone can do it, not just professional artists.
Also, these little bursts of creativity can lead to larger inspiration or simply bring a smile. Both are wonderful and enough in their own ways.
So here is your Creativity Mini-Challenge for this month. It’s based on a picture from my life and will only take you five minutes. (Below, you’ll find my take on it, although I admit time gets away from me once I get going.)
Look at the photo below (alt text available for accessibility).
Tell yourself a super short story or doodle something about it.
(optional) Share your story in the Comments below!
REMEMBER—This is supposed to be whimsically rough! It’s not about perfection. It’s five minutes to dream—just for you. Have fun!
CREATIVE.INSPIRED.HAPPY is a warm, vibrant community of thousands who believe that EVERYONE can spark creativity and build an inspired, happier life.
✍🏼 My whimsically rough, super short story
Spring is one of those things in life that can delight you, if you let it. One moment it’s winter and the skies are gray and the clouds are constantly precipitating on you, and the next moment, you walk outside and that ugly bare branch outside your front door has—gasp—bloomed!
This is precisely what happened to Ernest, who trudged through every miserably cold winter dreaming of relocating to Florida or Hawaii… until that inevitable day every year when he walked out of his house, and the scraggly tree branch by the door bobbed in a not-cold-anymore breeze, greeting him with a fragile, pink flower.
“Hello, Ernest!” it seemed to say. “You made it through another winter—we both did!”
Then the little branch would wobble again in the breeze, which was definitely no longer chilly and might even be a tiny bit warm if you really leaned into it.
And Ernest would smile and say, “Welcome back, Spring. I have so missed you, too!”
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📸 Where is the photo from?
Spring hits California earlier than in most of the United States. This picture was taken a couple weeks ago at a park in the Bay Area. I’m not sure if it’s a plum or cherry blossom (or something else), but regardless, it’s one of the first signs around here that winter is on its way out!
Doug awoke and sat up in bed to rub his eyes. Had last night really happened? Had he gone out on a date with someone after vowing for years since Jan died that he would remain single and alone forever?
But he had. And Sally was delightful. They laughed, held hands, and even hugged at the end of the night. Doug stood and walked to the kitchen to make coffee. His steps felt lighter than they had and a sense of warmth filled his chest. He wondered if Jan would approve.
He looked out the window and saw the cherry blossoms in full bloom. He and Jan had planted that tree a few years before she got sick. Before the loss. The tree hadn't bloomed in years, since she passed, but the bright pink flowers - her favorite - signaled her blessing.
Doug took his phone and texted Sally. "Thanks for a great time. Any plans today? Care to meet up?"
He hoped she would say yes.
Thank you, Evelyn! I'm doing haiku for a morning practice these days. 🌸 Cherry blossoms are the most famous inspiration for this art form in Japan, so here goes:
Oh! Flurry of pink!
I lay below, receiving,
Cherry blooms me up.