SINCE JUNE FIRST, EVERY EVENING, after all the rest of the world is (reasonably) quiet, I sit at my art-making table, pull the next blank index card from a pile numbered 1-61, review the ICAD prompt, and start making something.
The brainchild of Daisy Yellow’s Tammy Garcia, ICAD, which stands for “Index Card a Day,” is a two-month challenge—complete with an awesome online community for encouragment and inspiration. The idea is simple; the practice, challenging. Starting June 1st, create something—anything!—on a 3×5″ index card, then lather, rinse, repeat—every day for 61 days. Missed the starting gun? With Tammy’s blessings, whatever day you start is your own ICAD #1. Just number 61 index cards and have at it.
Not sure what to do? That’s part of the fun! Each day you face a teeny, tiny blank page. As Tammy says, Anything goes. Make flash cards to teach yourself Russian. Paint with acrylic paints. Drip india ink. Dye with espresso. Practice origami folds. Stitch. Sketch. Doodle. Stamp. Collage. Cut up, then weave the pieces back together. Write Haiku poems. Document your paint collection. Just dig in, using what you have and having fun!
When I asked Tammy about writers participating, she said, “Writers are welcome to join the ICAD challenge; it is a creativity challenge rather than an art challenge.” So if you don’t want to make visual art, use the daily prompts for character development, free-writing, or poem-making.
Writing Prompt
Get yourself an index card (or 61!), then visit one of the links in this post and find an image or a prompt to kick-start a teeny, tiny work of awesome.