I’ve been meaning to write about the link between slowness and art for ages and this blog entry is only a very patchy first volley. I love art, and love wandering round galleries. I don’t paint or sculpt or do anything art-like myself (apart from with my children), but as a writer I know that time is an essential ingredient of the creative act. You don’t hurry Hemingway. You don’t rush Rembrandt. Many works of art can be created quickly, or at least with great dynamism - think of Jackson Pollock attacking the canvas. But others need more time, from conception through to execution. The idea of Slow is rippling through the art world at the moment. Robert Hughes, the doyen of art critics, has called for more Slow Art (clickHERE). The Royal College of Art in London is currently hosting a series of lectures on slowness (I gave one of them) and you can find out more by clickingHERE. Almost every week I hear of another exhibition somewhere in the world organized round the theme of slowness. One example is the Plymouth Arts Centre in Devon, England. A group of artists and art dealers in New York has even signed a Slow Art Manifesto. This debate raises some fascinating questions, starting with: What exactly is slow art? Sadly I don’t have time to answer that right now because I have to get back to writing my next book, but I will be returning to this theme again. And I welcome any thoughts you want to share on the subject…

Well, it’s finally come. Today is the first official International Day of Slowness. It’s the brainchild of a group based in Milan calledL’Arte del Vivere con Lentezza (The Art of Living Slow). In several Italian cities, activisits are taking the Slow message into the streets with events and stunts, including speed traps for pedestrians. Wherever you are, though, this is the day to slow down a little, to get back in touch with your inner tortoise. Take a lunch break. Leave the office early. Stroll round a park with your mobile phone switched off. Read a really long story to your children. Linger over a long, leisurely meal. And maybe finish off the day with some slow, sensual sex. Sounds good, doesn’t it? If only I didn’t have a big deadline to meet today…Seriously, though, I’ll be indulging in at least three of the above - I just won’t tell which ones….

It’s that day of the year again. Love is in the air and all over the world men are scrambling to get that last-minute gift for their girlfriend or wife. Or both, maybe. But once the flowers and chocolates have been handed over and the candle-lit dinner is done, it’s time for, well, you know. If ever there was a time for slow sex, this is it. So turn off the Blackberry, unplug the phones and head slowly for the bedroom. You could do a Sting and get all tantric. Or you could just take more time than usual. This is not the moment for a quickie. Remember the wise words of the Pointer Sisters: “I want a lover with a slow hand…”

Just got back from giving a talk in Barcelona. Love that city, even in the rain. But the trip there was dreadful thanks to the snow that paralyzed the trains and the airports in Britain - lots of bad slow. Along the way I discovered that Spanish doctors, fed up with the constant pressure to hurry patients through the system as quickly as possible, are fighting back. They want more time in order to do their job properly. To that end, they are demanding a minimum of 10 minutes with each patient. There is a campaign group called Plataforma 10 Minutos and you can find out more by clickingHERE.

A CBC crew is finishing up a television report on the Slow revolution. The producer is now hunting for someone in Britain (preferably London) with personal experience of how slowing down actually pays dividends in the business world. It could be an entrepreneur, a single employee swimming against the tide within a firm or it could be a whole company. If you fit the bill, and fancy talking about the joys of slow on camera (you’ll be famous for a few minutes in Canada!), then please email me through the Contact page on the left. Many thanks.