Hi John,
You may have noticed I'm building a new creative habit of sending daily emails. Loving it so far (hope you are too), and trying to find the cadence of sending them with my complicated schedule.
We had a late dorm event last night that had me waking up a little later today, then the day got going with loads of obligations, and so I'm getting this one off to you later than usual.
At 7 AM this morning, the sun started to pour through the window next to my desk.
I didn’t have a chance to clear off my art table last night, and felt some discomfort as the sun cast shadows across little piles of paper and art supplies that had collected since yesterday.
Piles of:
- painted paper scraps that go under my paintings
- art projects in progress
- projects I’m testing for Schoolhouse members
- Art Prompt Cards
- collage materials
I saw two things:
- Clutter that could drive me bananas
- A wealth of inspiration that would spark my ideas and get my mind going
Tim Harford, Financial Times columnist, has a great little BBC piece on why being messy is good.
He says, “when things get busy, they also get messy. Messiness isn’t just part of life; it can actually enhance our lives.”
He goes on to say:
“So what about this messy desk? It’s nothing to be ashamed of. This isn’t an operating theater…we’re talking about a constant flow of new information…Some of us are pilers and some are filers…Pilers allow our messy desks to organize themselves. The good stuff rises to the top, the junk sinks to the bottom, and every once in a while you can just take that useless lower layer and put it in the only filing cabinet that really matters: the round one on the floor.”
LOL, love the humor, Tim. 🗑 BTW, Tim has a great TED talk on creativity that's worth a look.
Whether you’re a meticulous filer who thrives in an orderly environment, or a chaotic piler who finds inspiration in a hill of a collection, each style holds the potential for creativity to thrive.
I know I need both.
Take a moment to reflect on your own style.
Embrace it, experiment with it, and maybe try the other side to see what new ideas emerge.
Default piler who longs to be a filer,
P.S. Whenever you're ready, here are 4 creative ways TinkerLab can inspire and support your creativity journey:
- Engage your creative child with art in TinkerLab Schoolhouse ($10/mo)
- Bring creativity to your classroom with Art Around the Year ($99)
- Explore your creative potential by downloading the May Sketchbook Challenge (free)
- Break through artist blocks with Art Prompt Cards that spark creativity and inspiration (free)
