How to Reward Your "Other Work" with a 5 Minute Creativity Fix (and Just Feel Better About Everything!)

It was another one of those mopey sort of uninspired, I don’t feel like doing anything sort of afternoons when I remembered the greatest trick to instantly feeling better: the 5 Minute Creative Fix!

I was busy with stuff “to do” but the problem is it all felt crushing and heavy and none of it felt in the least bit attractive.

I decided I would set up a reward system for myself: thirty minutes of grading student’s papers would bring me five minutes worth of creative fix. Decluttering for fifteen minutes would buy another five minute creative fix. Preparing dinner? You’ve got it now - five minute creative fix.

What did I do in those five minutes?

One project I worked on was a mixed media piece. One of the things I especially love about mixed media is it is a form created for layering. It is perfect for five minutes here and there. It is not a rushing form, it is more of a waiting form. There is such value in this for busy women!

Another project I worked on was a collage I am building in a reclaimed frame that was more than sort of wonky. It had nails sticking out of it! I hadn’t known what to do about that but remembered I have braided sheets I am using in a rag rug project. Rag rug meet frame and instantly… solution and a cute solution as well. AND it took about five minutes to affix the braid to the frame. Wow. That was a genius move more than a month in the making!

A third project was a writing project . I set the timer for five minutes and wrote, stream of consciousness style, on a writing prompt from my friend, Kat McNally. Instead of saying, “I don’t have time for yet another thing!” when I used my 5 Minute Creative Fix solution, suddenly time opened up and wow, did I ever feel satisfied when I uploaded that blog post.

Ready to try it out? Here are 3 tips to help you in your process.

Don’t pressure yourself to finish anything quickly. Think of the tortoise rather than the hare. Think of personalized rather than off a conveyer belt just like everyone else. Think of ideas floating down to you over time rather then rushing to step 3 while still working on step 1.
Think of your five-minute creative chunk as an opportunity for progress rather than completion.
Remember the adage, “It is about the journey, not the destination.” This is a perfect example. Embracing it will change your attitude!

I look forward to seeing your photos of your projects in process and then, completed. Five minute chunks of time add up.

Hooray for you! Hooray for us! Hooray for creative fixes five minutes at a time!

Julie Jordan Scott is a writer, creative life coach, speaker, performance poet, Mommy and mixed-media artist whose Writing Camps and Writing Playgrounds permanently transform people's creative lives. Watch for the announcement of new programs coming Spring, 2014 and beyond.

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