Illustration by Ana Hinojosa.

When I am creating, I often get hung up on being precise, measured, and perfect. I spend a lot of time finding the right word, paring things back so I hit the point I want to make. There is a place for exactness, but sometimes it can limit what you do or try. Lately I have been working on the story of five girls. When I set out to write it, I thought it was about one or two characters. Allowing myself to develop five has been exhilarating! I’ve found myself telling the kind of story I never thought I could tell before.

Today I want you to go overboard instead of holding back. Add color to a drawing, painting, or collage—more color than you think is a good idea. Throw in some glitter. Put more words or images on a page than you would normally allow. Let your characters be completely melodramatic or ridiculous. Don’t rein in your imagination. Don’t edit. Don’t be scared to try something new, different, or totally over the top. Your piece may be entirely different than anything you’ve made before, but it will be full of life. We’re excited to see how it turns out, so send your work—along with your first name, last initial, age, and location—to [email protected] with the subject line “Creative Prompt” by Monday, March 27 at 6 PM ET.

Last week, we asked you to do some spring cleaning. Here’s what you cleared away…