Rewire Your Brain for Creativity in 5 Minutes with Blythe Harris & Mallory May
Rewire Your Brain for Creativity in 5 Minutes with Blythe Harris & Mallory May  
Podcast: Duologue with Leslie Heaney
Published On: Wed May 27 2026
Description: Most people don't think of themselves as creative. In fact, research shows that about 75% of adults self-identify as non-creative. But what if the problem isn't that they lack creativity — it's that they've been defining it wrong? Blythe Harris, co-founder and former chief creative officer of Stella & Dot, and Mallory May, jewelry designer and illustrator, created Daily Creative to change that conversation. Their practice is built around mini-c creativity: just five minutes of creative engagement per day — no talent required, no finished product expected — that delivers measurable benefits including lower stress, improved focus, healthier dopamine, and the kind of meditative calm most of us are chasing through much more complicated means.In this episode: the science behind why five minutes works, how Blythe's near-death experience in 1995 became the seed of Daily Creative, why perfectionism kills creativity faster than anything else, and how to start a creative practice that actually sticks — whether you're going through a career transition, entering midlife, managing kids on Zoom school, or just looking for five minutes that are genuinely yours.Follow Duologue: Instagram: @duologuepod Substack: duologue.substack.com Find Blythe & Mallory here:📖 Daily Creative book → dailycreative.com (now back in stock!)✉️ Free Substack with weekly exercises → dailycreative.substack.com📸 Instagram → @blythe.harris, @mallorymay & @daily__creative00:00 Intro 02:04 How Daily Creative started 04:25 The pandemic art class & kids on Zoom school 06:48 The Wordle model 09:17 The 75% stat & removing the drawing ability barrier 11:42 Adults, play & the preschool idea 14:02 Mallory's path & Blythe's accident 18:35 "I wasn't Frida Kahlo" — doodling as mental wellness 21:01 Doodling, focus & ADHD 23:26 The four C's of creativity & mini-c 25:51 Perfectionism as a creativity killer 28:13 Creativity in life transitions, menopause & the pause 30:36 Daily Creative dinner parties & the book launch 32:55 Keeping low-stakes art supplies around 35:15 What's next for Daily Creative 37:32 Where to find themHosted on Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.