The Creative Collective is a year-long community building, creative program (though you can jump in and join us at any time!). I’ve thought of bi-monthly activities for us to do, which are designed to help you exert creativity in all its forms — from writing and photography to painting and even bartending, we’re going to get creative in the best ways! Just visit this post to read all of the year’s prompts. On the specified day, I will hold a link up here, on my blog, where you can share a blog post or photo related to YOUR project. Then, we can all peruse each other’s artwork and make new friends to fuel our creativity during 2014!

Now, I know I’ve been absent for our past two prompts. GASP. I know. I feel badly about that, but keeping up with this year-long challenge has been more difficult for me than I expected! A part of me feels guilty, and another part thinks I need to take a break every now and then when something feels strained. Anyways, I’m back today to share a new prompt: Walking Thoughts. Here’s the gist:

Go for a walk (30 min+). Bring a notepad or your phone (turned on airplane mode to avoid receiving contact from others) and jot down all of your thoughts. This might be difficult at first — “what am I supposed to think about?” you might wonder. But keep strolling along. Look at things. Smile at strangers. Try not to think about work or your to-do list — free your mind and see what seeps in. You might be surprised what you end up thinking about!

I decided to go for a walk around my neighborhood. Here are some pieces of the notes I took! You can share your own through the link-up below. 🙂

• Going for a walk without Monja is actually kind of weird. What do I do with my hands?
• There’s a dog barking in the distance. I realize that although I haven’t actually seen all of the neighborhood dogs, I can recognize which one is barking based on the sound of its bark.
• I should probably spend more time with humans.
• There are a lot of kids in this neighborhood.
• Are those kids playing in a dumpster?
• Yes, they are playing inside of the dumpster.
• Literally, inside of it.
• Why are they in the dumpster? Where are their parents? Don’t these kids think that sitting inside a dumpster is kind of gross? Does this make me an old lady now?
• As I keep walking, past my dumpster friends, I spot a group of girls playing handball. They are arguing about what the “Black Magic” rule means. I have an inner-debate for longer than I’d like to admit about whether I want to try and be a cool adult and tell them what it means or risk looking like a loser to a group of ten-year-olds who would probably abandon handball altogether if they knew someone as old as me had any interest in it.
• By the way, “Black Magic” is when you swipe your hand under the ball. Boom. Tell your kids. I’m cool.
• I spot the neighborhood cat — a skinny orange and white mix — and decide to pet it for the first time. When it sees me on walks with Monja, it arches its back in defense, but today, while I’m alone, it lets me walk right up to it and pet it.
• The sky seems very blue today. Actually, colors in general just seem more pronounced. I pass a plant I’d never seen before with stripey leaves that look like little pieces of art.
• I walk past some bark chips lining the path and think about how Monja always tries to eat them when we go outside. Always. I think these are the type of things I’ll remember most about him. His weird little quirks. His bark chips.

Creative Collective Linkup RULES

1. You MUST leave a comment on the person’s blog who linked up directly before you. Check out their post, share some love, and make them feel like a creative all-star. (Don’t worry, the person who links up after you will return the favor!…Comments for everyone!). 
2. Please link up your posts or photos related to our Creative Collective prompt. Do not share links to unrelated DIY projects or to your blog’s homepage. They will be deleted.
3. If you like this project, share it! The more the merrier, ya dig? Just copy the button code and you’re good to go. 🙂

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