Episode 392 of the CMP, a Creativity Matters Podcast — five minutes… the long and short of it.

In this episode of the CMP, thoughts on five minutes (5 minutes). What can you fit into five minutes? Sometimes five minutes seems like a blink, and other times, five minutes seems like an eternity. Flow. Doing what you love. The speed of time’s flight when you are having fun. It all comes into play. You can do a lot of creative work in five minutes or in a block of five-minute intervals. When you do have the chance to pick and choose, I hope you make the most of those five minutes. And when you decide not to sit through something for a full five minutes that doesn’t really have your heart…. that is okay!

There is a book in today’s show, More: Do More of What Makes You Feel Alive. Libraries are still closed here (and in many places), so I wasn’t worried about this being a book that I don’t think you’ll find at the library. I just picked it up from a pile the other day and remembered how wonderful and motivating and life-affirming it is, and so I thought I’d share it. However, in pulling the show notes, I see that this book is also not readily available at Amazon. At the price it’s listed at right now, I have to say, please don’t listen to this show and think you should buy this book. It’s a small-format, 64-page book with very few words. Please don’t pay anything crazy for a book like this. Hopefully just hearing about the book was inspiring enough and gave you a small boost. In other words, listen and just enjoy the book talk….

Thank You

Thank you to those of you who emailed me in the last week or so. I appreciate your kind words, and thank you to those of you who have indicated interest in drawing together. I think this will definitely happen in coming weeks.

Summer Art and ICAD 2020

I didn’t talk about it in today’s show, but ICAD (Index-Card-A-Day) is starting June 1. I have posted a look back at some recent years of ICAD. I always debate about how I want to do things and how I want to focus, which translates to “what kind of series do I want to do this summer?” Because I am winding down my 50 Before 50 year in June, this year does feel a bit unusual to me. But I am planning on finding a way to make ICAD work for me. I encourage you to consider ICAD, especially if you are looking for a way to establish a creative routine, reconnect with your creative self, or engaged with a supportive creative community to help you feel more connected and confident with your art. (I’ve put links to two kinds of index cards that I’ve used below. These are both thicker-than-average kinds of cards. I have enjoyed working with both. One is more manila/cream in tone; the other is a bright white and a bit thinner.)

It can be easy to get weighed down by everything going on, by the anxiety and the uncertainty. But there are silver linings and gifts. I encourage you to look for them.

(The looking, in and of itself, offers a different mindset. You might find that the act of seeking and discovering helps shift your perspective in meaningful ways.)

Mentioned in this Episode (or Related)

• • Fifty Before Fifty
  • More: Do More of What Makes You Feel Alive
  • Glass Hotel (by Emily St. John Mandel)
  • Smead 4×6 cards (these tabbed cards are nice and thick and were my pick for many years of ICAD; I’ve also used the 3×5 ones)
  • Thick white index cards (this is what I used in 2019 and will be using in 2020) [300 | 100]

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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