The following quote from A. A. Milne is an interesting one. On the one hand, the more uncluttered we are, the more space we give to our mind to be creative. However, does the following contradict this…
One of the advantages of being disorderly is that one is constantly making exciting discoveries.
Personally I think there is a difference to disorderly and cluttered, and that is why the opening statement and the A.A.MIlne quote are essentially true.
Disorder, allows us to create connections, to dream dreams and to use our imagination. If we kept everything in order, and ‘as it should be’ there is no development, no evolution and no creativity. In some areas of our lives we need order, but when it comes to being creative it can stifles.
Keeping things uncluttered is about the mess, the distractions. While these may initially lead to some interesting connections and creative ideas, they more often than not distract us from our creative goals.
To sum up, I think the following illustration helps. If I am creating some music on the computer, I don’t want several other applications running and cluttering up my workspace, however, keeping an open, disordered mind during the process can allow me to develop new ideas and walk down new musical paths – ‘what if I did this instead?’
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