Soulful Spaces, Any Medium: The Weekly Room Portrait Challenge

I have just found something rather wonderful to share with you, today.

Every Saturday, a profound invitation drops into the digital world. It is the Room Portrait Challenge, hosted by the brilliant artist and author, SJ Axelby.

Here is the visual prompt from last Saturday which my above attempt tried to portray:

This challenge is an instruction to look deeper into the architecture of daily life, but here is the key: it welcomes every medium. Whether you express yourself through pencil, oil paint, paper scraps, or my own process of cutting and layering sounds, digital fragments and video stills—the only requirement is the interpretation of the room photo posted that week.

And if you cannot paint — perhaps you are visually impaired — or you don't have the time to create digital collages of the room prompt, why not share a poem describing it? Here's my haiku attempt:

The Call to the Inner Sanctuary

SJ Axelby’s lineage—steeped in textiles, antiques, and design—speaks to the beauty of observing and interpreting our environment. The challenge is simple: take the weekly photo prompt and create an artistic copy or interpretation of that room.

Why a room? Because our physical space is a mirror of our spiritual state. Our Soul Palace is built with layers of meaning, just like a great painting or a multi-layered digital canvas. These prompts are a magnificent way to force yourself out of the creative comfort zone, using the external image as a key to unlock the inner world.

A Map for Your Creative Light

The beauty of this challenge is that the medium doesn't matter; the message does.

For me, the process is about the unique discipline of cutting, layering, and arranging digital fragments—the image snippets and video stills that make up our modern view of the world. But for you, it might be the calming rhythm of a pencil or the rich texture of a paintbrush.

The act of interpretation, regardless of the tool, forces your focus to shift from the chaos outside to the precision inside. It’s a powerful discipline that cuts through the noise and reminds you that your soul is always ready to create beauty. When you are deeply engaged in this kind of focus, you are performing a Creative Soul Act that fosters deep, Earthy Soul Happiness.

To all my fellow artists and seekers: If you need a consistent dose of creative guidance to help your soul grow—not just observe, but interpret—join the club on Instagram. Take the weekly photo prompt, choose your medium, tag your work @roomportraitclub, and let your hands map the beautiful sanctuary you hold inside.

Always from my soul ✨ CJB ✨

PS: You may also like this post about Poetry Prompts?