The coundown is ON!
The January Challenge is 31 creative prompts over 31 days. Each day brings an adventure or invitation to explore something new. Each prompt is designed by different people and communities across the UK. Join thousands of people opening a creative prompt daily throughout January and see where it leads you!
Download your FREE pack today!
31 days of creativity and connection
We offer a free resource called the Creativity Champions Pack, which comes packed with 31 days of creative prompts for you to plan creative activities ahead of January.
For volunteers at Home-Start, this might mean choosing a few prompts from the pack to spark a conversation with a parent or bring a bit more fun and exploration to a home visit.
How can creativity spark connection this January?
The January Challenge is an invitation to use creativity to spark confidence, conversation and connection. It's a fun, free and accessible experience designed to set your mind on an adventure and brighten up the coldest, darkest month of the year.
Throughout January, we deliver an imaginative prompt each day that'll invite a moment of creativity into your day to take you somewhere new.
What's a
'creative prompt'?
Qoy Lawal and Michael Rosen demonstrate how they explore a creative prompt live. There's no right or wrong way to explore a creative prompt, no time limits, no restrictions, no right or wrongs, no expectations. Simply an invitation to to use your creativity freely.
Meet the 31 groups and individuals across the UK who have set a creative prompt for The January Challenge 2024
The January Challenge invites you to...
Do
As humans, if we think about getting creative too much, we’ll never even start. So, we encourage just opening a creative prompt and having a go. See what happens (...and if nothing happens, that's okay too!). You don't need any tools, you can do a creative prompt in your mind and on-the-go.
Think
Reflecting on our creativity can help us discover our unique thoughts and feelings, leading to a deeper connection with ourselves. We also invite you to explore what creativity means to others across the UK so that we can all inspire one another and learn just how varied creativity is for everyone.
Share
From your favourite song, a box of popcorn, doodles, poems and little stories. We invite everyone to come together online and in-person to share the path they took with creativity that day, whether it’s something you created or simply how thinking about the prompt made you feel.
Here are all the benefits you can get from exploring your creativity...
Spark creativity
Daily creative prompts provide a structured, consistent way to nurture and develop our creative skills.
Community Building
Participating in a shared creative experience with others can foster a sense of community and shared accomplishment.
Boosting gratitude
Some creative prompts may encourage us to appreciate and express gratitude for different aspects of our lives.
Inspiration
Creative prompts can spark new ideas and inspire us to think outside our usual patterns, helping us discover fresh perspectives.
Goal setting
Setting and achieving daily creative goals can bring a sense of accomplishment and motivation, contributing to personal growth.
New Year, New Start
January is often seen as a time for new beginnings, making it an ideal month to embark on a creative journey and create a new creative habit for the year ahead.
Create a new routine
Setting aside time each day for a creative prompt can contribute to building a positive routine and habit formation.
Skill Development
Daily prompts may target specific skills or techniques, allowing us to enhance our artistic or creative abilities.
Exploration
Prompts can encourage experimentation with different creative methods outside of our usual approach.
Stress Reduction
Creative expression has therapeutic benefits and can serve as a stress-relief outlet, offering a break from daily pressures.
Self-reflection
Prompts often encourage introspection, allowing us to explore our thoughts, feelings, and experiences through creative expression.
Connection with others
Sharing creations resulting from the prompts can facilitate connection with others engaging in the same creative journey.
Building a portfolio
Over time, the creations from daily prompts can contribute to building a diverse and impressive portfolio of work.
Mindfulness
Engaging in daily creative activities can be a form of mindfulness, promoting focus on the present moment and enhancing overall well-being.
Stimulating Curiosity
Prompts often introduce new topics or themes, encouraging participants to explore subjects they may not have considered before.
What others are saying
Anyone can join our in-person and live events across the UK. There's something for everyone!
Questions and answers
The January Challenge is an annual campaign to connect all parts of the UK through 31 days of creativity. Each year different Creativity Champions provide a creative prompt for you to explore throughout January. It's fun, free and accessible to participate.
Together, we've proved that creativity is closely linked to our levels of wellbeing and connection to ourselves and others. You can read our most recent Impact Report here.
You can join in however you like. You might like to open our daily emails in January and let each challenge inspire thoughts. Each challenge will be a unique creative prompt that'll invite you to do something, reflect and perhaps share with those around you or online. You can sign up to receive the daily creative challenges here.
The January Challenge is completely free for everyone!
Creative prompts can be done alone, with friends and family or as part of a teaching plan, library event, team engagement at work or in any community setting. You can build a little community wherever you like to share what you create with others or join ours online by joining our Facebook group or posting on social using the hashtag #TheJanuaryChallenge.
Anyone can be a Creativity Champion, including you.
Creativity Champions are:
- spread across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland
- sharing their unique perspective on what creativity means to them and how it shows up in their lives and those around them
- using The January Challenge campaign resources and (with the full support of 64 Million Artists, including training, access support and regular check-ins) establishing spaces for their groups to get together and get creative.
- creating tailored spaces for communities with diverse lived experiences with plans for group activity in local community centres, cafes, libraries, parks, and TikTok
- setting one creative prompt each in January
This January, we have 31 featured Creativity Champions leading a different creative prompt a day throughout January.
You're free to dip in and out of The January Challenge as you please. It's there for you. You might do all the challenges, you might do one challenge, you might do none, it's totally up to you. You can be a part of it purely by searching the hashtag and seeing what others are creating (though we promise you'll have more fun if you have a go yourself!)
Got another question not answered here? Send it over to [email protected] and they'll be happy to answer you (no question is too big, small or silly!)