This is a my Creativity Lab (just a part).
Everything here is handmade and that is the secret.
What is a Creativity Lab?
In general it is a place where you store all of the pieces of this world that inspire you.
No, it is NOT a “second brain”!
I have only ONE brain, I want to use its power to be creative, to make beautiful and useful things that make our life and the life of those we love better.
This is a long story and I don’t want to bore you with my reflections, maybe another time.
Back to the point.
Collections are living organisms that keep a Creative Lab alive
The boundary between “collecting” and “hoarding” is very thin. It’s so easy to loose the focus and just accumulate stuff for the sake of “you never know when this may be useful”.
This is honestly something I did (and do). But I learned from my mistakes.
You need to be aware, to pay a deliberate attention to your collections to ensure they “have a soul” rather than they “are a group of things”.
The 3 Types of Collections
This may looks obvious but it’s not. I bet you already have some stable collections. Are they “alive” or they are just a sort of archives you put in a drawer and forget?
Furthermore, that box or drawer or shelf or folder on your browser/computer/phone where you put some “I’ll check it later” stuff. That is your buffer.
How frequently you review it? And when you do, how stern you are in cleaning it.
When it comes to digital, it’s easy to indulge in keeping large archives, they are invisible and storage space is relatively cheap in these days.
Ideally, to be effective, a buffer must be empty most of the time.
So, for example, a HUGE “read later” list is just a failure.
For physical stuff, it is completely a different story, they are here, they occupy a space in this world and a space in our minds.
If we understand how to harness this “presence”, we can create a very powerful tool.
A Creative Lab made of Boxes: from the Earth to the Mind and back
I have only one thing to say here: it works.
Do not think to a whole warehouse full of boxes numbered and indexed, it is not like that.
It is a relatively small number of containers that works, it is not and archive, it is indeed a starting point.
Give it a try
Seriously, give it a try.
Start small, make your boxes, observe, remix, throw away.
I’m pretty sure you’ll be happy.
Bonus Sketchnote
I did this months ago and never published. I hope you’ll find it useful.
Have fun!
A few links you may find interesting
First of all, here a good post by
about curation:To Implement Change, You Don’t Need to Convince Everyone at Once : Start small, focus on success, and build upon each achievement. That's how real change happens.
Paying Attention : Choose what to consume wisely, focus on what matters, and embrace the art of ignoring. Truly enjoyed this 3min read.
Are you an artistic genius? : “Maybe not, but if that’s the threshold you use for creativity in your life, you are coming at the problem all wrong” . Not a short read but totally worthy.
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Thanks for the mention Mauro!
I think your analog approach to all of this is amazing! 🤩