Episode 383 of the CMP, a Creativity Matters Podcast — mindfulness in the midst of anxiety and the importance of whimsy
In this episode of the CMP, some general notes on context. This is not a COVID-19 show. This show is not full of coronavirus news. But there is mention of this for a few minutes after the opening discussion of hatching and mindfulness. The mention…. is largely about watching the news and about buying soup…. and warning my son as I brought him home for Spring Break a week ago that…. he should be prepared that there are a bunch of cans of soup in the floor. But please don’t “not” listen this week because you fear this will simply be a pandemic show. It isn’t. There is brief discussion of indecisiveness (which a few weeks ago I thought I really needed to talk about). I did buy a phone. I was given help in the form of “flip a coin” or “this the safe color and this is the cool color” (and one of those is what we all expect from you, but is that who you really want to be, lol). What color do you think I picked? (I will say that I stuck with my initial instinct on color even though no one else liked my choice initially. After all the hemming and hawing and video watching and Instagram-scouring and debating…. I still went with what I had decided first. I should really learn from that. But that whole process is something I can’t seem to avoid.) [Note: I do know that Ann Bogel’s book, Don’t Overthink It is out. It wasn’t out when this all happened, and then I started hearing about it and realized it’s on this theme. I also know that some of you can’t fathom those of us who don’t make snap decisions or who do far too much research and debating about decisions. If you know someone like this, be patient with that person!]
Did you say teapots in a tree?
Yes! I did! And a floating windowframe-like frame of floating metal containers of succulents, too. Yes…. The rest of the show…. is about whimsy. In this, you’ll hear about a tree full of birdhouses and a tree full of tea pots with succulents. This moment was complete serendipity. It is something enchanting that is right there in plain sight, but I stumbled over the moment, and it has stuck with me. These moments can be so wonderful precisely because they are often so unexpected and/or because they are so beyond the boundaries of what you might do with your own space or things. (I have now admitted I will never paint a car and have this amazing hand-painted car. 30 years ago, I certainly thought I would.)
Take care of yourself — and I hope you enjoy the bit of listening this show offers.
Mentioned in this Episode (or Related)
- Don’t Overthink It (Ann Bogel)
A note on materials: you can, of course, use any pen or your favorite pen to do your Quadrant Diary pages. But if you’re doing a Lynda Barry deep-dive, you might want to feel really official and use some of the tools she recommends or requires in her books. You’ll find a few other tools listed, but these options will get you started: composition books, Paper Mate Flair pens (black), and uni-ball Vision Rollerball Pens (black).
Show Information:
- Guitar music: Nicholai Heidlas on SoundCloud
- Creativity Matters Group at Facebook
- Patreon page
- oamyoamy at Instagram
- Try Creative Bug with the Living a More Creative Life: 30 Ways in 30 Days class
- Try Trello
A note about Trello: I’m feeling really productive with my reading and my “To Read” list this year using Trello. I use Trello for other things, including tracking my 50 Before 50 list, but I am finding new book lover’s peace this year with Trello boards set up to help me keep track of books I want to read, Kindle books I snag on a deal, books I hear about in groups or on other podcasts, and then the books I actually am reading or listening to. If you haven’t tried Trello, you should! (It’s free!)
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