Creative Prompt: Scribbles

When we make “ugly art,” we let go of striving. We release the pressure to make something polished or impressive, and instead open ourselves to receive whatever comes. Scribbles are a perfect place to begin.

Children already know this. They don’t need a reason to scribble; they simply put crayon to paper and enjoy the movement, the colors, the lines colliding and looping across the page. No rules. No striving. Just joy.

Today’s invitation is to make scribbles.

That’s it. No plan, no picture in mind, no outcome to aim for. Simply enter like a child, moving your hand freely across the page. Let the marks overlap, tangle, and surprise you.

When you’re finished, pause and ask what did you receive in the making? Peace? Release? Laughter? Maybe nothing more than the reminder that you are free to begin again.

Wondering Questions

• I wonder what it feels like to scribble without striving?

• I wonder what you might receive when you let the lines be messy?

• I wonder where else you might loosen your control, and allow it to be a little more messy?

• I wonder how God delights in you when you enter play like a child?

Kid-Friendly Version

Grab your markers, crayons, or pencils and just scribble! Make big loops, tiny wiggles, zigzags, or swirls. Try using as many colors as you can.

Then look closely at your scribbles. Do you see any hidden shapes, animals, or silly faces? How do your scribbles make you feel?

Closing Thought

Scribbles remind us that creativity is not about control, but about receiving. It’s not about proving, but about playing. Like children, we can let go of striving and enter the freedom of simply making marks on a page and trust that God meets us there.