Creativity And the 3x5 Index Card

The past few weeks I've spent a lot of time preparing for upcoming classes and writing. The work is creative, but at the end of the day it's hard to point at something and say to my husband, "Isn't this cool?" It's times like these that unlined 3x5 cards save my sanity.

I've been using a Levenger Pocket Briefcase, which holds 3x5 index cards, for close to 20 years. I make notes and sketches on cards. I make lists to keep me on track while I prep for multiple classes. I use cards to capture ideas I don't have time to explore until later. The cards go in files and in piles. Sometimes cards disappear (you've heard of the Black Hole on my desk), then reappear at exactly the right time. 

I keep a stack of index cards by my comfy chair in the living room. When I've stared at the computer screen too long and I can't focus my eyes to stitch, I doodle.

Sometimes I use those doodles in projects.

Sometimes I just play with different arrangements of the cards. Like a cross between tarot and storyboard, I can change the story by changing the order of the cards.

Last week, I reached for a 3x5 card to copy a recipe. By mistake, I grabbed one I had already doodled on. Now I'm thinking I might make it a habit to doodle on cards I intend to write recipes on. Do you think I'll be more likely to actually try out those new recipes?