#CarveDecember 2018 Days 1& 2

This is year 5 of #CarveDecember.  Can you believe it?! I can't.

This is the first year that I've done prompts.  My assistant, Suzanne, suggested it but I was totally resistant to doing it.  I've never been good about sticking to prompts.  I put together the list and told myself that I didn't have to stick to the prompts if they started to feel stifling. And you know what?  It has been shockingly great to use prompts! 

I have purposely not been looking ahead in the prompt list.  After I carve the stamp for the day, I look at the prompt for the next day and I let it percolate overnight.  In the morning, I'm usually filled with ideas and take a few moments to sketch out some possibilities and then get to carving!

Like a lot of people, I felt that if I used the prompts, I would just be carving stamps to match the prompts and not carving stamps that I would actually use....

That's why it's so important to let the prompt percolate.  Not only am I thinking about what I can carve to match the prompt, but I'm also thinking about what I can make that I will like and use.  This often requires a slight turn away from something that matches the prompt exactly.  And that's totally fine.  

The verb definition of the word "prompt" is:

1. (of an event or fact) cause or bring about (an action or feeling). "his death has prompted an industry-wide investigation of safety violations" synonyms: give rise to, bring about, cause, occasion, result in, lead to, elicit, produce, bring on, engender, induce, precipitate, trigger, spark off, provoke "the statement prompted a hostile reaction"
2. assist or encourage (a hesitating speaker) to say something. "“And the picture?” he prompted" synonyms: remind, cue, feed, help out; jog someone's memory "the actors needed prompting"

The prompts have given me a spark to get my own ideas rolling.  They're called prompts and not "rules" because that's all they're meant for.  Something to get you started instead of having to start from scratch.

And part of the fun this time around has been seeing how everyone else interprets the prompts as well!  Take a peek:

Prompt #1 was "heart."

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This was my interpretation:

And here are a few others:

Prompt #2 was "splash."  This is my interpretation:

And here are some others:

Tomorrow I will share some more from #CarveDecember!  It's not too late to join in!  Even if you just carve one stamp this month, that would be amazing!

Thanks for stopping by!