Cultivate YOUR *kitchen for the mind*

Inspired by an ad for the Bosch Kitchen Center in the current (October 2014) issue of Entrepreneur Magazine (www.entrepreneur.com), I re-read the insightful (if not slightly dated) Think out of the Box by Mike Vance and Diane Deacon (originally published 1995) - especially paying attention to the chapter titled "Designing Creative Environments". After an introduction praising the legacy of Frank Lloyd Wright, the authors begin with the simple notion: Don't let your environment control you. A simple thought, right? As we all know, having a workspace that encourages and inspires our creativity isn't so easy to establish, never mind maintain. Too often, the space in which we spend the majority of our potentially creative time (and energy) has been designated, defined or given to us. The office, cubicle, kitchen, class room, reception area, and even sanctuary where we toil was usually conceived by someone else - with no regard for the actual individual/s who would occupy it.

Much of our creative class has, thankfully, trended away from being boxed in, in such a way. Many of us still need to break free of traditional working setups in order to foster the deepest and most dynamic of our talents. True for work, true for home - as the division between these two "separate" places blurs for so many. 

Promoting an enriched place as they call it, Vance and Deacon write:

Think of the kitchen for your stomach. You have the necessary utilities to transform recipes into wonderful food for eating. In your kitchen for the stomach, you have breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks. In your Kitchen for the Mind, you work on projects, programs, celebrations and individual activities, cooking up recipes as you go...

...the walls of your Kitchen for the Mind should have lots of space to pin up concepts and ideas...and don't forget musical instruments, board games, a stereo (I said this is dated :), and anything else that gets your creative juices flowing.

When I first studied this material several years ago, I completely reorganized my office space in the synagogue I served: cleared off the large desk to make a truly useable surface area; put up a small white board to jot down ideas, random ones or not, and to keep them visibly part of my environment; color coded my notes, project planning and calendar activities; always had music playing (duh); even made sure the lava lamp was always turned on when I arrived, as if to indicate "open for business."

And, I, much like the universe itself, am subject to the gentle hand of entropy. After several weeks, it became easier again to allow items to pile up on my desk. Piles of books everywhere, seemingly haphazard (though I swear I knew the location of every volume!) littering the floor. Colored pens/pencils so easily replaced by the ever-present black ink...

As I recall, the times I'm motivated and energized to utilize a Kitchen for the Mind construct, because it's totally customized to me, I've been at my most creative, efficient and enthusiastic. Again time to sustain such a space...

Now - how do YOU engage such a workable, pleasing, inspiring, and yes fun spot for yourself? And if you want ideas, or a sounding board to continue the conversation - let me know!