Creative gratitude: for when the list just isn't enough
Sometimes life is genuinely hard. And in those moments, being asked to write down three things you're grateful for can feel a little hollow or even a little cruel. Not because gratitude isn't real or worth cultivating, but because when we're in it, it isn't always easy to access.
This is where cultivating a regular creative practice can quietly shift and change things.
These prompts were born out of an Altered Book for Gratitude workshop, where I took participants through how to use an altered book as a living, growing creative practice for exploring gratitude. An altered book is not a blank page and that matters more than it sounds. A blank page can feel like a demand. A page that already has something on it is an invitation. There is already something here. What do you notice? What do you want to keep, cover over, respond to? That inquiry, what is already here, is at the heart of gratitude itself.
"Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough, and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos to order, confusion to clarity.”
Melody Beattie
What is gratitude and how does crating a gratitude practice help wellbeing?
Gratitude is the expression of appreciation for what one has. A recognition of value independent of monetary worth. Spontaneously generated from within.¹
Research backs this up. Foundational studies by Robert Emmons and Martin Seligman found that a regular gratitude practice is one of the most reliable ways to increase wellbeing, optimism and life satisfaction — and that the effects are lasting. It turns out that gratitude, practiced consistently, actually shifts how we experience life over time.²
It also sits, sometimes, right next to grief. We can have loved and lost and feel both the beauty and the pain of that in the same breath. Gratitude and sorrow are not opposites, they often live together. So some of these prompts may bring up deep feelings or long held memories. That is not a sign something has gone wrong.
The creative process itself offers a lot of soothing. Making marks, choosing colours, cutting and arranging are genuinely regulating and grounding acts. But if you find yourself needing a little more support, reach out to a good friend or a therapist. And if you're curious about creative counselling as a way to explore this kind of work, that is something I offer too. You can find out more about that here.
These prompts can be used in any creative journal or sketchbook. But there is something particularly rich about containing them in an altered book, pages already full of someone else's words and images, waiting to be transformed. The synchronicities that emerge when you work with found material are genuinely surprising. Something catches your eye. A word sits next to an image in a way that feels almost intentional. A blank page rarely offers that.
So how do you get started? Never fear, I’ve pulled together 20 prompts to help you start exploring. Pick one, pick three, or work through them slowly over time. There is no right order and no wrong response. You don’t need to do all of them, there’s 20 so that there is sure to be at least one of two that spark your imagination. You’ll probably find YOU start to come up with your own prompts once you get stuck into the creative process.
20 prompts for exploring gratitude creatively
1. Rose & thorn Reflect on a highlight and a lowlight of your week. Map them creatively on the page in colour, image, word, or mark.
2. Matters of the heart We hold a lot in our hearts: joy, sorrow, fear and anger. Draw a heart and take some time to map what you are holding there and perhaps what you might like to let go of. Find your own creative way to express this.
3. Collage response If gratitude were a colour, texture, image or phrase, what would it look and feel like? Let your hands lead.
4. Unexpected doorway A page for something that took an unexpected turn and opened a path you didn't see coming. Perhaps start by creating a doorway that leads to your heart space...
5. Little unseen miracles What have you noticed lately that felt like a small synchronicity? A moment that made you pause. Capture it here.
6. Fun & delight Fill a page with everything that brings you fun, laughter and delight. Collage, draw, write, go for it.
7. A symbol of gratitude Create a page devoted to a symbol that connects you to gratitude. Perhaps something in nature that holds this feeling for you.
8. Lost & found What is one thing you lost, an object, person or opportunity, that brought an unexpected finding or realisation?
9. An intention to grow into Write a quality or intention you want to hold or develop in the centre of your page. Build an artwork around it using colours, quotes, stickers, writing, whatever draws you in.
Right: Word list for inspiration!
10. One thing What is one object, place or person you are grateful for? Make a creative response.
11. Page of play Throw caution to the wind. Fill the entire page with marks using different art mediums. Don't stop until it's full. No rules, just freedom to experiment. Play, play, play.
12. I feel grateful when... Finish the sentence. Write it in the centre of your page and let it expand in words, colour, image, whatever comes.
13. Patchwork heart
Draw an outline of a heart and break it into random sections. Fill each section with a word or colour to represent something you hold in your heart.
Right: Example of what used to fill my heart in 2019
14. What lights me up What genuinely lights you up? Make a page that reflects it. Don't overthink it, just go.
15. I couldn't live without... Finish the sentence creatively. Let it surprise you.
16. My days are better because of... A page of appreciation for the things, people, moments and rhythms that quietly make your days richer.
17. My heart feels full when... Finish the sentence and build a page around the feeling.
18. Singing to the heart Write down songs or lyrics that connect to your heart or make you feel alive and seen. Arrange them, illustrate them, let the music onto the page.
19. Expanding heart A guided drawing process for connecting with your heart, here’s the process below:
20. Favourite places Map a place or places that make you feel at home in the world. Draw it, collage it, write it, whatever feels right.
If this kind of creative wellbeing practice speaks to you, come and explore more on my YouTube channel where I share techniques, ideas and practices, or wander through the blog for more creative processes to try.
Good luck with your gratitude practice!
References:
¹ Psychology Today. Gratitude. Retrieved from https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/basics/gratitude
² Emmons, R.A. & McCullough, M.E. (2003). Counting blessings versus burdens: An experimental investigation of gratitude and subjective wellbeing. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 84(2), 377–389. See also Seligman, M.E.P. et al. (2005). Positive psychology progress. American Psychologist, 60(5), 410–421.
