Week 8: Candid

March 13-19

We’re three-quarters of the way through Creative Sparks! Thanks for joining in on this challenge with me. I hope you’ve found a small spark in yourself, even if you only read the prompts. You can always execute later!

I didn’t plan this out but coincidentally, I wrote about the recent surge of documenting and posting about strangers for everyone else to comment on. It’s less Candid Camera, more drama, and all for the sake of stirring it all up. Candid does not mean walk up to someone and take a photo in their face. It’s more about being open to possibilities in the moment, wherever you are. You can only plan so much.

So candid is defined as capturing something unplanned and in the moment. There’s the other definition which is being open and honest. My physical journal has always held one rule: to always be honest. I didn’t want my future self to read back in the pages and see a rose-colored summary of my life. This was usually fine until I had to write about one of those “you know deep down this is the truth, but you don’t want to admit it” kinds of things.

Examples & directions to go:

  • Write honestly, truthfully about any subject. To make it more challenging, pick a slightly uncomfortable topic for you to think about.
  • Take a self-portrait that shows your current state of mind.
  • Walk around in a market or area with people and document silhouettes that you see.
  • Have a deep conversation (starter questions here) with a friend you haven’t talked to in a while. Reflect on it afterward.

Mood board & inspiration: