It goes without saying that some prompts are pretty easy and an idea may instantly spring to mind! But there are also those which are a little more difficult to interpret! Some of these prompts are deliberately kept vague so that you can interpret them as you wish and so it allows for a wider variety of posts! This page is to help you find your way with those prompts that are a little more difficult. Listed below you'll find the full list of prompts and a brief explanation of my thinking behind them and a few suggestions on ways that you can use them. These are just ideas and I'm not saying you should follow these! I'd like you to interpret them in your own way! Just think of this as a little help if you are a bit stuck!

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1.Storytime - Tell us a story! It can be about anything you like! This is a good prompt to introduce yourself as a person. Tell the world about the maker behind the makes! Who are you? Is it just you? Do you have a team? Introduce yourself. What do you like? Where are you based? What makes you, you? Take a selfie or draw a portrait. As difficult as it can be to show our true selves at times, people do love to see the maker behind the magic and get to know you better. If you're not ready for a full-on selfie, could you find other ways to show who you are? Perhaps it could be you working so you're distracted and not looking directly into the camera. Perhaps if you're an illustrator you could draw yourself. Or if you have a favourite photograph of yourself could you style it amongst your products so it's not necessarily the main focus? Either way, we all look forward to getting to know you!

 

Alternatively, if talking about yourself isn’t what you’d like to do today then that is also totally ok! Tell us about how you got into making, how your business was born or maybe even a fun fact about your business (for example, perhaps someone famous now owns a piece of your work!). This one is completely open to what you would like to share!

 

2. Weekend - These are days where you can either take a break or post anything else that you might want to share.

 

3. Weekend

 

4. The Human Touch - This one is all about the handmade elements of your work. What part of the process do your hands play? Do they draw out the design before a machine takes over? Do they add intricate details that only a steady hand can add,  do they neatly wrap each order before being sent off or even write the thank you notes that goes into every package?

 

5. Evolution - As you may have guessed this one is all about how your products or brand has evolved but it can be looked at from many ways. We could look at how something can go from being an idea in your head to the finished product. How does it evolve from imagination to physical thing? How many stages are there? Do you follow a specific process when it comes to making new ideas? Do you make samples? This route could be about the journey from rough ideas to polished products!

 

Or, you could look at how you’ve changed over time. Is your style still the same? What did your products look like when you first started out to where you are now? How has your brand evolved over the years?

Perhaps you haven’t had the same product for a while but the way you present it has changed. Have you given anything a makeover lately? Or perhaps tweaked something to make improvements? Have you changed your branding? Added a new colourway to a popular product? Updated the design and given it a refresh? Perhaps it’s the same product but different photography? Are you able to show a before and after? Maybe it’s changed slowly over the years! How did it look a year, two years or five years ago? No matter how you look at this, it’s always interesting to see how something has changed over the years.

 

6. Tasks - As a creator, we don't spend all day making (wouldn't that be nice!) we're also bookkeepers, photographers, packaging ninjas, social media experts, list makers, procrastinators and errand runners to the local post box. There's a lot more to us other than being makers'. What jobs do you have to do today? What is on your to-do list? Are there any particular tasks you love or hate doing?

 

7. Combination - this one is very open to interpretation but just a few examples could be: colour combinations, textures, fonts, how different products could work as a set, your favourite customer order combinations or how you could combine two very different ideas to make something new etc.

 

8. Your brand - Where did your brand come from? How did it come about? What is it about? Is there a story behind it? How did you decide on the name? What are your brand values? What do you stand for? Tell us everything there is to know about your brand!

 

9. Weekend

 

10. Weekend

 

11. Today I’m making… - As simple as it gets, what are you making today? Or what are you making on your next making day?

 

12. Focus and priorities - what is your main focus at the moment? What Are you prioritising above the rest? We've all got to do lists that we'll never reach the bottom of so what are you working on right now? What is the most important job to you? Are you working towards a particular goal? What is it? How much further do you have to go? Has your focus shifted recently? If so, to what? Why are you focusing on that one thing in particular? Do you have deadlines?

 

13. Signature style - Do you have a style that when people look at it that they instantly know it’s your work? What is it about your style that makes it yours? Is it the way you draw something? Or the colours and textures used? Is there something that you put into every piece of your work? How do people recognise it as yours?

 

14. Collection - Show us a product range (or even just a product) and tell us everything there is to know about it. Why did you make it? Why do you like it? Does it have a story? Who is it aimed at? What have people said about it? How long have you made these? Is it a new range? Perhaps it's your best seller. Either way, show off something you've made and sell it to us!

 

15. Challenge - today is all about talking about the challenges we face as small businesses. This could be absolutely anything! Big problems, small problems. It’s all relevant! How have you overcome the challenges? Or what do you plan to do to get you through your current challenge? Or if you’re not sure, ask for advice. Or maybe you’ve got some tips to share even a story about a recent challenge you faced.

 

16. Weekend

 

17. Weekend

 

18. Process - this could be a number of things! It could be how you make something, a part of the making process, or even part of the creative process. For example, idea generation, or inspiration. Are there any particular parts of the process that could be interesting to see? Why is it your favourite? It could be how you print your fabrics, an overlocker zooming around fabric edges, pots waiting to dry, yarn being wound into balls, arranging artwork for print, etc. The possibilities are endless! Perhaps you have a special tool that you particularly like using? How does it fit into the making process?

 

19. Gifting ideas - share some ideas about how your product or service could be gifted. Can people get gift vouchers? Or share some ideas of how your product could be used as a present. If you were to give it to a friend or family member, how would you present it? Are there any add ons or upsells you can offer? Do you offer gift wrapping? How can you solve the problem of someone looking for a gift for someone else? What sort of person would this product suit?

 

20. Day in the life - what would it look like if you had a camera crew follow you around all day? Take a few snaps and make a carousel of what you get up to! Or perhaps create a small reel of all of the tasks you have to do. Or maybe jump on stories and fill us in throughout the day with what you’re up to!Make it as authentic as possible!

 

21. Details - are there any details on your products that deserve a mention or that are easily overlooked? Are there any small added extras you put into orders that people don't know about? Stickers? Postcards? Do you offer optional gift wrap for gifts going direct? Perhaps a close up of one of your products? What is the texture like? Small personal touches such as hand written messages to the customer. Is there a detail you really like adding to a product? Perhaps it's a label, a stamp, or a hidden message. Or maybe a character singled out from an illustration. Focus on something that could be overlooked or something that you particularly like or is special.

 

22. Positive - Let’s use today to spread some positivity about small businesses! Think about milestones, ideas you’re excited about, new products that you love, slowing down, finding new perspectives and realisations, light bulb moments and anything good! Today is a day for celebrating wins, no matter how big or small! Maybe you hit a sales target, launched your first range or overcome something you’ve been putting off.  It's a day to look for the positives.

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23. Weekend

 

24. Weekend

 

25. Product story - Do you have a story behind a particular product? Does it have special meaning to you? Was it partially inspired by a life event, personal experience or a person? Or maybe there’s a different meaning behind it? Perhaps outside of your business you have a special interest in the thing it was inspired by? Did the idea come to you at a random time? Or perhaps you received some really lovely feedback about it from a customer who used it at a special point in their life? Or perhaps you worked on the idea in an unexpected way or in an unusual place? Either way, today is about showing off one of your products!

 

26. Call to action - This is about asking your audience to do something for you. If you have a mailing list this is a great time to remind people to sign up. Or it could be something different like visiting your shop, favouriting an item on etsy, following you on pinterest, answering a question for you or to take part in some polls on your story etc. It’s about finding a way for people to interact with you.

 

27. Moment of calm - what do you do to find calm, rest, and relax? Is there a job within your business that allows you to do this or do you down tools and go for a walk? Perhaps it’s taking 5 with a cup of tea or reading a book. What do you do outside of the hustle?

 

28. Packaged - How do you pack up your orders? What do you use? Do you have branded stickers or stamps? How do you display your products? What do they come in? What materials do you use? Is it bright and colourful? Is it eco friendly? Perhaps you want some advice or feedback on yours? Or maybe you are looking for some ideas or want to source some new supplies?

 

29. Vision - where do you see yourself in the future? Next year? In the next 5 years? What are your plans and goals moving forward? Are you working to a timeline or are you just seeing where things go? Are you winging it and enjoying the journey? Or Is there something in particular that you're looking forward to in the next year or so? What does the future look like for you and your brand? 

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30. Weekend

 

31. Weekend

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