Every Friday I write the 20 Minute Club Minutes–because using a timer for what I call the 20 Minute Technique can keep your creative momentum going in your busy, time-crunched life–20 minutes at a pop.

Please join in and share your 20 Minute Experiences in the Comments–good/bad, it’s all fair game, because sharing your experiences about the process is a great way to increase your creativity.

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The Creative Breakthroughs Collage Tele-class was once again my savior this week–the only way I managed to get a bit of creating done in my hectic schedule.

Which enabled me to set aside another 20 minutes to continue working on my new collages this morning as well.

Fresh design problems will do that because creativity begets more creativity.

It’s really as simple as that.

It’s also one of my favorite reasons for teaching this workshop every week because structured support really really helps make the creating happen.

I mean, why struggle to do it all on your own?

But you know, even bigger things are at stake.

Universal Truths

This week, I asked class participants to have copies of a few photos ready so we could play with having more overt “subject matter” in our collages.

Laura, one of the tele-class participants, sent me a note before class started that she was feeling unsure about using the photos she had on hand because she didn’t feel ready and they weren’t very good. Was it okay if she didn’t use photos this time?

Of course!

But I also suggested that bad or uninteresting photos might be good to use because they would allow her to “make a mess”. (Which is pretty much what I did this week with mine. )

Afterward, she wrote me another note about her response to incorporating photos into one of her collages:

“…making that collage felt very therapeutic for me. There was something about creating images that related to myself and my parents and our connections to the house I grew up in that made all our recent struggles feel more universal – in spite of the fact that the collage centered on pictures of me and other individual references...”

YES!

What an eloquent way to describe how creativity and making art can help you remember or realize the connections between your own life and the universal themes of the human condition.

That’s art at its best–truly impacting our every day lives–helping us make meaning and understand our place in the world.

And all this richness and possibility is sitting inside of you right now as well–willing to come out if you let it.

Thanks Laura, for letting me share that.

Get ‘Em While They’re Hot

The summer intro rate for the Creative Breakthroughs Collage Tele-class will only be available for a couple more weeks, so if you’ve been thinking about joining us and want to save some money, click on the link above to sign up for a class or three.

If you’re wondering what supplies you’ll need, check out the suggested supplies list.

There’s a 100% money back guarantee, but f you’re still a bit nervous about it, or wondering if you’re a good fit, click here:

http://makegreatstuff.com/creative-breakthroughs-teleclass-faqs/ to read my answers to all the questions you might have.

And you can always call me or email me directly (all that info can be found on FAQ page above).

I hope you join us.

Appreciation

Appreciating yourself is an important part of the 20 Minute Club because it helps you keep your creative momentum going.

Carving out the time to create is important of course, but it’s not enough. Getting (and eventually staying) on your own side is a critical factor for helping you take bigger risks with your work, get yourself out of a creative rut, or just enjoy the process more.

Taking the time to remember to appreciate yourself and all your efforts (big or small, creative or not) is a powerful way to make this happen.

Here are my five self-appreciations for this week:

1. I appreciate how I hung in there with my Paypal button struggles this week and finally reached detente emerged victorious.

2. I appreciate how much better I’m getting at honoring the work involved in the projects and kit ideas I conjure up which helps me be on my own side.

3. I appreciate how this honoring process is truly helping me do more accurate business planning. I find it so interesting how much the spiritual work helps the practical work.

4. I appreciate how much richness I receive from the often uncomfortable experience of always wanting to grow and stretch.

5. I appreciate every time I feel the fear and do it anyway–whatever “it” happens to be at the moment.

Your Turn

How was your creative week this week? Are you busy gearing up for September? Still vacationing? Immersed in your creativity and feeling fabulous? Leave a comment, I’d love to hear from you!