Get our new podcast, Storm The Perfict

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Leading up to Bridge Songs: Perfict, we've launched a podcast! Storm the Perfict will span 12 episodes, each exactly 12 minutes, looking at perfection through the eyes or local artists.

You can subscribe on iTunes here.

Episode Listing

10 Minutes In Trello Changes Everything Today

Are creative people swamped in constant chaos, unable to keep an ordered life or make a deadline? Do you feel in control of your hours, or at the mercy of every notification and undone job?

Where you end up has a lot to do with where, and how, you begin.

I've found this especially true in the way I spend the 24 hours I'm given, fresh every day.

I used to spend many days frustrated, distracted and unsure of what I accomplished. Then, I came across some great articles online that suggested I may be able to fix things in just 10 minutes. Now, by taking 10 minutes to plan each morning, I know exactly what I need to do and whether I have time to get it done or not. I also know that I have time to relax, without guilt.

Just 10 minutes in Trello, an online planning tool is making all the difference.

Here's how I start every day.

I Respect My Body

I know my body has some serious limitations. When I wake up, I work out first thing.

It seems I can fool my body into thinking it can work out, long enough to get the workout done. Having this completed not only makes me feel accomplished the rest of the day, but it also gives me energy to get through what I need to do. There's not much sense planning for tasks I have no energy to tackle. Exercise especially helps me with my 'siesta-time' lull – a period between 1:30 and 3:30 that used to nearly paralyze me. It is at this time I am most likely to lose focus and start clicking random links to take me anywhere but the task at hand. Early morning exercise helps with this, hours later.

Of course, to get up and exercise at 6:30, I need to have gone to bed by 10:30 the night before. So today starts yesterday.

Prayer. Scripture. Coffee.

Now for some caffeine and centering. To be honest, most mornings this is a brief time - just 10 or 15 minutes. I'd like ot make more time for prayer and contemplation. I need to make that choice, and as you'll read below, I can.

I try to read a Bible passage from the Revised Common Lectionary and think about what it means for my life. I will sometimes pray through the Lord's Prayer, or think about any needs in my world. Oftentimes, my prayer will blur into the next part of my day: planning.

I Plan With Trello Today

'Today' is a special Board I use in Trello, an online project management tool you can use for free.

Think of Trello as a series of bulletin boards, each representing a specific project or sphere of responsibilities. I have Boards set up for breaking large projects down into smaller chunks. I have a Board set up just for books I want to read and have read. And I have a Board set up for Today.

Within each Trello Board you create Lists of Cards. I think of the Cards as little pieces of paper I pin onto the Board–each representing a small piece of the whole project. These Cards can be grouped into Lists within the Board. I love this system for two reasons; it is visual and it is flexible.

Moving the Cards around the screen is a visual, nearly tactile, experience. It's the closest I've come to using a pin-board or sticking Post-Its to the wall (something I do often in creative meetings). Trello's flexibility makes it adaptable to any circumstance. Planning out your day, for example.

Here's how my Today Board is set up. Within the Board, I have the following Lists.

To Do

This List holds Cards for tasks I want to achieve today. Writing this article is one of today's Cards. I want to rake up 2 bags of leaves from the front lawn. I need to mail in a cheque for our tree pruning. These are all Cards under my To Do List. The bulk of my time in Trello this morning involved dragging cards into this To Do List, or creating new cards here.

I put fun items on this List, too. Reading a book. Taking a bath. Going for a walk. Visiting a vintage furniture store. Playing a game. Make sure you plan for leisure. When I don't, I either don't get leisure, or spend it guilty, assuming I don't have the time.

Doing

I don't always use this List, but it feeds my obsessive need to feel I'm accomplishing something. If I'm in the middle of a longer activity, like installing a new operating system on my computer, I'll drag that Card into this List while things are happening.

Right now, "Write Trello Today piece" is sitting in my Doing List. Soon, I'll move it to Done.

Done

As tasks are done Today, I'll drag them into this List, from my To Do or Doing Lists. It just feels so good.

One of the best parts of this system is that at the end of each day, and the start of the next day, I can see what I achieved. I know exactly where my time went. Each morning I review this List and then archive all the Cards in it. I clear it out. I start fresh.

Future - Important

This List holds Cards for things I want to get done, but don't need to do, or don't have time to do, today. This is how I make sure I don't miss important tasks that are due in the next few weeks.

At the start of each day, I review this List, and try to drag at least one Card from it onto my To Do List. I pick away at these important tasks as I can.

Future - Not Important

Things are things I want to do, but don't have to do. Checking out new features on a website might go here. Drawing a picture. Finishing staining our picnic table. I'd like to do these things, and don't want to forget about them, but if they don't happen soon, my world will remain pretty much intact.

Abandoned Tasks

These are Cards that I have decided I'm not going to do. I didn't start with this List, and I'm not sure I need it. It likely only exists because Trello doesn't actually let you delete Cards. This is frustrating to me, so I created a 'trash bin' of my own here. Maybe Trash would be an even better name for it. I just didn't want to put these tasks into 'Done' and pretend, because, well, I have issues. Let's just leave it there, okay?

My Bonus Lists

I have a couple of extra Lists here. One is for albums I have heard about and want to buy at some point. The other is for movies I'd like to watch at some point. These Lists may not belong here, but I didn't want to make a whole new Trello Board for them, so here they are. Trello can flex like that.

I Try to Be Realistic With My Time

I'm still working on this one, but it's important to know how long things are going to take. Do I really have time to get those 14 things done today? I think three major tasks is enough for any one day, with some smaller tasks peppered between.

I use the Pomodoro Technique to track my time, which calls for 25 minute blocks of work broken up by 5 minute breaks. Yes, I use a timer. So when I plan my day I think to myself 'how many Pomodoros is this going to take'? Because I'm a nerd.

Here's what's awesome about planning in chunks of time. You know if something is actually possible. If you are a 'Quantum Time' obsessive, like me, this also stops you from working for four hours with no breaks, or water, or snacks. If you get a link to an awesome YouTube video, you can park it for your 5 minute break, then watch it guilt free. Hey, this is your break! Social media addicts can try reserving Facebook check-ins for these 5 minute breaks, too. No checking for 25 minutes, then run wild for 5. It works really well, and it is freeing.

Your Mileage May Vary: What Matters and What Doesn't

You can sign up for Trello free at http://www.trello.com. I recommend Trello as a way to break large projects down into bite-sized pieces. It even lets you collaborate in teams.

But it may not work for you. A paper Today list may be all you need. You may prefer a system like Wunderlist, that lets you check boxes rather than dragging Cards. But I like dragging Cards.

What matters is this: plan you day . Take stock. Consider how you spend your time. Schedule as a spiritual discipline.

Don't complain about how busy you are–do something about it.

We creatives get a bad rap for disorganization. I do find it easier to chase distractions and new ideas than to focus and commit. I'm thankful to have tools, like Trello, to help me.

You know that dream project you just haven't found time for? Make time. That novel? Plan to write 500 words today.

Last year I struggled to write a blog post once a week and send out a newsletter every once in a while. Now I blog at least three times a week. I post to Facebook and Twitter regularly. I write monthly articles for the Rat Creek Press, I send out weekly emails. I'm working on an EP. I'm about to open an art space. I work part time at another job, cook great meals from scratch and exercise. I get to bed on time, and I don't feel busy.

Most of the time. 

I can tell you this. We all get 24 hours. Every single day.

You choose to give those hours to work or family or sport or play. You choose to binge-watch Orange Is The New Black or read Moby Dick. You. Choose.

Choose well and use every tool at your disposal. Take your time back.

Friday. The 13 Arts, Faith and Community Links you Need to Visit.

This week I've got 13 more links about art, faith and community for you. We'll learn a bit about all there is to learn, listen to some new music from Leonard Cohen, meet a young songwriter named Braden Gates and carve out some sacred space. Sound good? Dive in.

1. Before you go reading any of this stuff, remember that knowing does not necessarily make you wise. This charming animation reveals a great truth for our times from Maria Popova; Knowledge DOES NOT EQUAL wisdom. 
2. This is Leonard #CohenWeek folks! Why? Because on September 21, the legend turns 80. And because CBC Radio 2 says so. To celebrate, Cohen releases his 13th album, Popular Problems, next week. If you can't wait that long, you can have a 'first play' right here, right now.
3. Speaking of Leonard Cohen, you have read his poem, God is Alive, Magic is Afoot, right? Maybe you'd rather if Cohen read it to you?
4. While we're onto words, do you like quotes about creativity? How about 45 creativity quotes in one post?
5. And while we're onto music, last weekend at Kaleido I stumbled upon Braden Gates in a back alley. It was, perhaps, the best possible way to discover this local folk gem. 
6. Amid the roar of the new U2 album, no one is really talking about the music. Well, neither is this guy, until the end of this insightful New Yorker article on U2's Christianity.
7. While U2 gives an album away for free, many of us wonder how to make any money off of music. New models keep emerging, like my friend Jonathan J Bower's 'kick-ender' campaign. Have a listen and support great music.
8. Wonder what it's like to start something you know little to nothing about - like a business? Listen to the process on a new podcast from the Producer of This American Life at http://hearstartup.com/.
9. Of course, here's what might really happen when you follow your bliss.
10. But there are plenty of resources to help you succeed. CARFAC is launching a new series of Webinars (online seminars over Wednesday lunch hours) for just $15 each - and less if you register for all six at once. The series covers topics ranging from Marketing 2.0 to Doing Business With Commercial Galleries and crafting the Perfect Portfolio.
11. How do you get the important stuff done? Here's how the most successful people manage their time.
12. Rather than doing any of this, you might want to carve out a sacred space for deep thinking.
13. You can get some good tips on crafting your own Sacred Space through a weekly Sabbath from the folks behind the Sabbath Manifesto. They've been slowing down lives since 2010.

Friday's Kaleidoscope of 13 Finds

I know the sky has not shone brightly, but surely there is yet some joy to be found? Look no further, in fact, than this magical kaleidoscope of 13 artistic finds!

1. The title of this week's post is a wink and a nod to this weekend's fabulous Kaleido Festival. If you've never been, you NEED to check this out. If you have been, you'll be back I'm sure. Did I mention people dance on walls? Here's what I had to say about it last year.
2. And our friend Karla Adolphe will be there. And here, too. Oh, and here, too.
3. Want to know what an Arts Potluck looks like? What do people share? Who shows up? What they recommend? You can find all of this and more on my recap of last Friday's event.
4. Jonathan J Bower is a musician I met at the Glen Workshop this summer. He just put out a great album, and launched a Kickstarter to pay for post-production of Hope, Alaska. I love this way of supporting an artist and his work so directly. 
5. I recorded a demo of a song inspired by words and images emailed to me from participants of the recent JusticeCAMP: Land event. I hope you like it.
6. Aaron Srumpel, synthesizers and the Book of James collide.
7. While we're on music, maybe you're a U2 fan and maybe you're not. Either way, you've likely heard by now that the new U2 album is free for all 500 million plus iTunes users in the world. You may also, like me, have had troubles finding and downloading the free gift. In my opinion, Songs of Innocence is a very solid release from U2 and worth the listen. If you are still wondering how to get yours, this article from CNET makes it simple.
8. If you are a U2 fan, you likely have The Joshua Tree already. But if you don't, you need it. You can get it for just $5.99 from iTunes right now, along with all other U2 albums on sale.

9. "Good books tell the truth, even when they're about things that never have been and never will be. They're truthful in a different way" - Stanisław Lem (from Good Reads)

10. I had the pleasure of watching the film Enough Said on Netflix recently. It is a warm and real romantic comedy with great writing. It is also good to watch Julia Louis-Dreyfus bumble awkwardly for a couple of hours. She's just so good at it. If you are a Netflix subscriber, you can watch it here.
11. Speaking of movies, remember how terrifying these end-times movies were? Watching these as a kid led to issues therapy could probably help me with. Somehow, being from the 70's only makes them scarier now.
12. I've been reading Anne Lamott, a Christian author who would likely have strong disagreements with the rapture theology presented in the aforementioned film. Her book, Bird By Bird, is a classic for writers. Oh, and she's on Twitter.
13. Surely you have enough time to check out these links? After all, you have 168 hours this week. How are you using them?

Rabbit Holes for a Friday

I like to share good stuff I find on social media, pretty much every day. In case you missed something, here is a curated list from the past week of posts that connected (and maybe some new stuff, too). Of course, you'll get some of this right in your inbox when you subscribe to our newsletter. 

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I'm on the hunt for the world's greatest art quotes? Have one to share?

You could save those quotes to share at our first Arts Potluck of the year next Friday. Yes!

Karla Adolphe is coming Sept 14 for a house concert! Will you be there?

We're looking for the boldest and brightest to take care of the volunteers at Kaleido Festival this year. You in?

“Art is not what you see, but what you make others see.” - Edgar Degas

According to poet Tania Runyan, your life doesn't mean what you think it means.

Netflix is about to get some Canadian competition, with an emphasis on human-driven recommendations and hand-picked collections. Would you switch to Shomi?

I'd like to tell you how I used to get driven to school in a milk truck.

Bored Panda has 25 awesome reflection photos. I'm a fan of reflection photos.

Oh, and last but most certainly not least, there's this little ditty. 

Support Bibliotheca: A Beautiful New Bible Reading Experience on Kickstarter

Sometimes you see an idea so good you just want to pull out your credit card with a resounding 'YES!'

I predict that response from many Bleeding Heart supporters. 

BIBLIOTHECA is a custom designed, hard-bound Bible-as-set-of-books whose Kickstarter funding has gone through the roof. 

If you want to experience the Bible in this new (old) way, you have until Sunday to get your name in for one of these signed, first edition sets.

Sneak a Peek at Our Bookshelf

Bleeding Heart recently joined Pinterest. I was a hold out, but as it is such a visual network, and we are kind of into this whole art thing, it just made sense.

Sometimes you don't know how you will use something best until you start. One of my favourite uses of our new Pinterest profile is the growing Bookshelf, where I share all my favourite reads on art, faith, hope and love. 

Have a look-see here, and add your suggestions in the comments below. I won't just add willy-nilly, but I'm open. I've only got so much space on this antique mahogany shelving unit, so I want to curate wisely.

Follow Bleeding Heart Art Space's board The Bookshelf on Pinterest.

Grow Your Art Check In: April

As we move towards Spring, the Grow Your Art Challenge has entered its second quarter.

A quick recap for those asking 'what on earth is the Grow Your Art Challenge?'. Some of us set out together to pursue personal art projects during 2014. We set goals we felt were realistic and attainable, and we vowed to keep each other posted on our progress (be it inspiring or less-than). As a group, we would hold each other accountable.

And that is why we are gathered here today. To keep one another in check. To ask, 'How is your project going'.

Please post your progress below, addressing these four questions;

1. What have you made for the Challenge since last month?
2. Is there something you can show us?
3. What is the biggest challenge you are facing now?
4. How can we help you move forward?

Can I Still Sign Up?

Yes indeed! If you would like to join the Grow Your Art Challenge, make something this year and party with us when it's all over, just post your intentions below. You'll find a more detailed primer on the challenge here.