Creative Explorations Vol #30: Intention

A sketchbook/art journal prompt to support your art and creative practice.

Photo by Emily Park on Unsplash

Creative Explorations are themed around a prompt that you can explore in your own art/creative practice over the coming weeks. Prompts will be sent out on the first Friday of every month. I hope this month’s prompt sparks your creativity!

Before we jump into this month’s prompt, I want to wish you a very Happy New Year! I hope you all had a wonderful holiday season, and are nice and snuggly {or keeping cool and hydrating well if you’re in the Southern Hemisphere} as you welcome in 2026.

I hope, too, that you’re being gentle with yourself, allowing yourself to ease into the year instead of racing towards your goals and resolutions. It’s not a sprint to the “finish line”…it’s not even a marathon…more a gentle walk.

We have 12 months ahead of us, and a lot of life that will be lifeing. The goals and resolutions we set at the start of the year may also change and evolve as 2026 unfolds. Going gently into the year, with intentionality and curiosity, is more helpful that striving for “New Year New Me” energy.

That “New Me” bit? It usually fails. Not because we don’t change, but because change usually is a slow process with many twists and turns. Not accounting for that makes us think we are “failing”, which makes us give up on our goals, which slows our progress towards the life we want to create.

Which is why I find intentions more helpful than goals. For example, instead of setting a goal to lose 10 kgs, an intention to feel fitter and more energetic is much easier to work towards. I can feel the change in my energy levels long before the needle moves on the weighing scale, and make small tweaks and improvements each day.

This keeps me oriented towards a healthier lifestyle, which is what underlies the goal to drop the weight. Simply chasing a weight loss goal and not seeing a change fast enough can discourage me quicker than a lightning bug, and I quickly default to old habits that I would like to change.

So, as we step into 2026, let’s set some intentions together! I created the Visioning workbook to help you with this part of the process. If you haven’t downloaded your copy yet, you can do that here {it’s free!}.

Once you have your intentions and your word of the year {which you will find as you work through the Visioning workbook}, we’ll focus our sketchbook explorations on INTENTIONS.

Here are a few ideas to get you started with your exploration.

Resources + ideas

Matchbox shrines: Create a matchbox shrine for your word of the year, or make a few matchbox shrines to represent your most important intentions for the new year. These matchbox shrines can serve as an excellent visual touchstone through the year. Don’t have matchboxes? Here’s a tutorial on how to make a matchbox using cardstock! Need some ideas or inspiration to get started? You can watch this video for some ideas on making matchbox shrines, and this one for a more witchy/woo-woo take on matchbox shrines.

Vision board: I don’t think this one needs any explanation, but for a more artsy twist, try creating a more abstract vision board — one that is infused with personal meaning for you, but looks like a pretty painting to anyone looking at it.

If you need some inspiration or ideas on how to created a painted vision board, I went into it in detail in this post: Not your typical vision board

And here’s an example of one of the vision boards I created a few years ago. I know exactly what the intention for this one was, but to anyone else looking at it, it’s just a lovely piece of art.

Doodles + Lettering: Another interesting idea is to combine doodles and lettering to create an intention spread in your sketchbook or journal. If you’re creating these in your journal, add some fun stickers and washi tape to brighten up your pages!

My absolute favorite source for washi tape and washi stickers is The Washi Tape Shop. I love their designs, and their gilded washi tape is to die for! Use the code Modern10 for a sweet 10% discount.

Hidden letter: Write a letter from future you, offering yourself some gentle encouragement as you work towards your intentions and goals for the year. {This is something we do in the Visioning Workbook, so you can write that letter on a piece of paper that you can tuck into your sketchbook.} Then hide the letter in your sketchbook — tuck it into a pocket, envelope, or flap so it isn’t immediately visible to anyone flipping through your sketchbook, but is easily accessible to you whenever you need a bit of encouragement.

Here’s an example from one of my art journals. I have a small envelope on the page into which I tucked a card with my word of the year. The envelope also secures a flap. When you open it up, there’s a double page spread where I wrote a letter from future me.

Make a zine: Why not turn your goals and intentions into a zine? They’re colorful, playful, and a super fun way to keep your goals and intentions front and center through the year. If you’ve never made a zine before, this video shows you 3 ways to fold a zine.

And here’s a zine I made to remind myself {and maybe you, too!} that all of it matters.

I look forward to seeing your take on this prompt! You can email your finished pieces to me on shinjinim@substack.com. If you prefer to share on Instagram, you can DM or tag me there @moderngypsy.in

Like this prompt? Share it with your friends and invite them into our virtual studio. If you’re on the Substack app, you can tap on the like button or restack to Notes to let me know you enjoyed this post.