Sometimes, words just aren’t enough to capture what we’re feeling, right? If you’re feeling stuck or just need a different way to work through your thoughts, that’s where art therapy journal prompts can come in handy. They’re a simple way to let your emotions flow, and you don’t need to be a skilled artist to do it!
I’ve picked out some prompts that I think could be really helpful, whether you’re looking to explore your emotions or just take a break from the stress of the day. Trust me, exploring our feelings through art can be a transformative experience.
Table of Contents
Expressing Feelings Through Art
- Create a drawing or collage of what stress feels like using only scraps of paper.
- Paint an emotion you’ve felt today using only one color.
- Craft a mask that represents what you show the world and what you feel inside.
- Draw your mood as a weather report (sunny, stormy, calm, etc.).
- Illustrate a conversation between two contrasting emotions, like joy and sadness.
- Create a “mood board” that visually represents your feelings over the past week. What patterns do you notice?
- Sketch the energy inside you right now with lines and swirls.
- Use clay or playdough to sculpt an emotion you’re struggling with.
- Paint a song that touches your heart, using colors that match the music’s mood.
- Illustrate a feeling that you’ve been avoiding. Once finished, write about why you’ve been avoiding it.
Caring for Your Mental Health
- Draw a place that always lifts your spirits. Use colors that reflect its tranquility.
- Create an artwork depicting your mind’s perfect vacation.
- Sketch what “self-care” looks like to you.
- Illustrate a moment when you felt mentally recharged.
- Paint an image of something that represents your stress melting away.
- Draw a series of protective circles around a calm center—what do these layers protect?
- Sketch about what you need more of in life.
- Visualize your ideal support system as a network of roads—where do they lead?
- Paint a barrier that represents your fears—how do you break through it?
- Design a badge of honor for overcoming a recent mental health challenge.
Discovering Yourself
- Paint your future self: where are you, and what are you doing?
- Sketch the person you aspire to be in ten years.
- Paint your “inner critic” as a cartoon—what would it say?
- Create an artwork showing your hidden talents or thoughts.
- Sketch different “hats” you wear in your roles at home, work, or with friends.
- Design a tattoo that sums up your life philosophy.
- Draw a scene reflecting a recent self-discovery.
- Create a visual motto that represents your life philosophy.
- Illustrate “you” as an island—what unique geographic features does it have?
Finding Calm and Peace
- Paint a scene that makes you feel calm—where is it?
- Create an artwork that represents silence. What does it look like?
- Sketch a moment when you felt most at peace with the world.
- Compose a picture using only shapes and lines that make you feel calm.
- Illustrate your perfect place to unwind.
- Design a peaceful retreat—what features does it include?
- Paint the sensation of listening to your favorite soothing song.
- Draw or paint the calm after a storm.
- Draw your “quiet place” within yourself—what does it look like?
- Create a collage of images that represent peace and tranquility to you.
Healing from the Past
- Paint a scene depicting a turning point in your recovery.
- Create a “path of healing” with distinct stages marked along the way.
- Sketch your journey over a rough sea to calm waters.
- Create an artwork showing a conversation with a past version of yourself.
- Illustrate a moment when you felt healed or whole again.
- Create a piece of art that symbolizes closure for you. What does this image mean for your healing process?
- Paint an emotional release—what colors did you include on the canvas?
- Draw doors—one opens to the past, the other to the future. Which do you open?
- Create a visual story of something you’ve overcome.
- Draw a picture that represents hope for the future. How does this hope guide your healing journey?
Creative Exploration and Inspiration
- Draw the first thing that comes to mind when you think of “creativity.”
- Create a piece combining three random items in your room.
- Illustrate a breakthrough moment in your creative process.
- Design a fantasy creature that could live in your dream world.
- Paint a surreal version of your hometown.
- Create a mind map of your next big project.
- Sketch a scene from a novel that inspired you.
- What brings out your creativity?
- Sculpt something using only objects found inside the room you are in.
- Design your own version of a utopian world.
Growing Your Artistic Skills
- Draw the same object from three different angles. What do you notice about how perspective changes your art?
- Try a new medium or technique you’ve never used before. Create something with it and reflect on what you’ve learned.
- Create an artwork using only one color. How can you play with shades and textures to make it interesting?
- Choose a skill you want to improve, like shading or perspective, and create an artwork that challenges you to practice it.
- Draw or paint an everyday scene in as much detail as possible. What did you find challenging or surprising about this exercise?
- Practice drawing quick sketches of people or objects in motion. How does this help you capture movement and energy?
- Try to replicate a famous artwork but in your own style. What do you learn about your own artistic voice through this process?
- Draw or paint a self-portrait, focusing on capturing your true likeness. How does this challenge your observational skills?
- Create an artwork using a limited palette of just three colors. How does this constraint push your creativity?
- Draw or paint a still life with a focus on light and shadow. What did you discover about how light affects your subject?
Frequently Asked Questions
How can art therapy journal prompts help me?
These prompts guide you in expressing complex emotions that might be hard to articulate with words alone. They can provide relief from stress, aid in healing from trauma, boost creativity, and offer insights into your personal growth and mental health.
Do I need art skills to use these journal prompts?
Absolutely not! Art therapy is about the process of creation for personal insight and healing, not about artistic skill or the final product. Whether you’re drawing stick figures or detailed landscapes, it’s your expression that counts.
What should I do if I find a prompt too emotionally challenging?
Listen to your feelings. If a prompt brings up too much, it’s okay to set it aside and try a different one or return to it when you feel more prepared. Your well-being is the most important thing in your art therapy journey.
Final Thoughts
As you try out these art therapy prompts, I hope you discover new ways to express what you are feeling inside that you can’t translate into words. It’s okay if it feels a bit strange at first—sometimes, the most meaningful things start that way.
The important part is that you’re giving yourself space to feel, create, and heal. Be patient with yourself. After all, every artist needs time and space to truly flourish—both on the canvas and in life.
