Monday Memo #41
Embrace randomness.
The Monday memo is food for thought to fuel your week.
Hi everyone,
Randomness can be inspiring.
Leonardo Da Vinci used to find inspiration by looking at stains on the wall:
"I cannot forbear to mention ... a new device for study ... which may seem trivial and almost ludicrous ... [but] is extremely useful in arousing the mind ... Look at a wall spotted with stains, or with a mixture of stones ... you may discover a resemblance to landscapes ... battles with figures in action ... strange faces and costumes ... and an endless variety of objects ..."
Exercise.
Here's an exercise that will help you use random patterns for inspiration. You'll need a deck of index cards and a cup of tea.
1. This one has a nice start for a Monday morning: Make yourself a cup of tea.
2. It's always a problem to decide how to dispose of the tea bag, right? Keep an index card near your desk or wherever you drink your tea. Place the tea bag onto the index card and let the card soak up the excess tea.
3. When the card is dry, look at the tea stain and see if you can find inspiration. What do the random shapes suggest?
4. Now follow your inspiration and make a simple drawing on the card.
If you don't like tea I'm sure you can find other ways — like random scribbling — to create interesting random patterns on an index card.
Our next Collaboratory.
In this week’s Collaboratory, Maha Baimyrzaeva will talk about the problem with problems, and offer a different way to frame and think about challenges and opportunities.
Become a member today to access this live, interactive session, on Wednesday, September 18, from 9 to 10:30 am Pacific time.
Project studio.
Starting with a kick-off call on October 9, I will run a seven-week intensive I’m calling Project Studio. I will provide a lightweight structure within which we will work together to complete our personal creative projects, encourage and support each other, and hold each other accountable to being true to our creative selves. Project Studio will meet weekly, every Wednesday, from 9 to 10:30 am, starting October 9 and wrapping up on November 20, just before Thanksgiving in the US. Project studio will be free for members.
In between now and October I will be sharing a lot more details about Project Studio, so if you’re interested, check out the detailed description on our website. If you’re not sure yet you can follow the journey here and decide later.
Members get access to all events, event recordings, and our archive.
As of this week we have 84 members. In 2025, membership dues will increase to $30/month, $300/year. If you join now, you will lock in the $20/month, $200/year rate for as long as your subscription remains active.
If you’re already a member, thank you. You’re making this possible.
More information for members is below the fold.