After a life long concern about "not finishing a thing!" I use art and creative projects (done my way) to figure out I not only CAN get it done, I am satisfied throughout the entire process (and you may be, too!)
I have spent most of my life feeling somehow diminished that I didn’t barrel through my projects and just get them done like a normal person!
I started to understand in college I wasn’t like those people who could sit in the library and work for eight hours straight on the same thing. I learned in economics class about the law of diminishing returns. If I sat working at something for much more than an hour, I started being very ineffective.
Here I am, many years later, and finally I am beginning to really understand how wonderful it is that I don’t rush through whatever I am doing to get to the end of it so I can get onto my next thing.
This morning I got home from taking Emma to school. My primary goal this morning was to settle into my long-lost (or so it felt) writing routine. For the past week, my carefully shepherded routines had gotten completely out of whack and with it, my spirit was out of whack.
I had been meditating on the question, “Is what I am doing the most important thing?” as I got home so it felt sort of odd to pick up a collaged scrap page and a ten-cent photo frame and then scrounge for some painted paper and immediately set about gluing things together.
I wasn’t thinking at all as I giggled and glued.
I was just flowing with the creative process itself as I glued and composed and then took a quick photo.
I keep scraps of collage and rough drafts and thrift store finds in my studio hutch. When inspired, I pick up and piece together. Just like that, 5 minute art is complete.
You may be asking “How is this the most important thing?”
Well, my intensely scheduled time last week with virtually no personal time left me feeling more than deflated. I felt stomped on creatively. While this five minute art project from stuff I had readily available was a brilliant exercise in creative flow, self-sufficiency, problem solving and self-care all in one simple swoop of giddy creativity.
I had no idea my morning plans were about to become completely derailed, but as that happened I was so peaceful this fact of “not having it my way” turned into so much better than my way!
I don’t think any of this would have happened if I hadn’t asked the question and stepped into the flow.
I asked, "Is what I am doing the most important thing?” and then let my heart and spirit do the responding.
Did I mention I also found a set of keys that had been missing since January and fulfilled my daughter’s request which had also gone unanswered for much longer than it needed to be?
Yes, five minute art projects are that powerful.
You don’t have to make a huge wall hanging to feel the incredible rush of a job well done. Not at all! You may simply take what you have and make something of it, be it a recipe or the agenda for your next team meeting or an email or a blog post or changing your mantel décor.
How will you fill your next five minutes?
Ready?
Set?
Create with what you have on hand right now - -
And
GO!
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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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