Austin Kleon - How to make a map of your mind
When ideas aren’t coming, or I’m confused about what’s going on in my head, I’ll make something called a mind map. Starting in the middle of a notebook page, I’ll draw a picture, or write a word or phrase with a box or a circle around it, then I’ll write the first word or phrase that comes to my mind next to it, enclose it with a box or a circle, and draw a line connecting them. I’ll repeat this process until the page is full. Here’s a video of me making one: There’s not a whole lot to this simple technique, but it’s one of the easiest ways I know to get myself going when I’m stuck. It does at least 2 things for me:
I’ve made so many of these maps over the years… This is a free bonus Tuesday edition of my newsletter. If you’d like to keep getting these Tuesday emails, become a paid subscriber. …they almost function as snapshots of my brain at certain moments in time. I usually make these maps on a smaller page in my diary, but it’s a technique you can scale up. When I’m trying to tackle a bigger project, I’ll grab a gigantic sheet of paper and a Sharpie and work on the floor: This would also work well if you have a whiteboard or a chalkboard nearby. (See Brian Rea’s website for inspiration: he blows these things up into gigantic works of art.) In literature, there’s a phrase called in media res, which means “in the middle of things.” There’s something about starting a story in the middle that throws us into the action, and I think it’s also true of the page. Next time you’re stuck, give it a try and tell me how it goes: Hope you enjoyed this bonus Tuesday edition of the newsletter. If you want to get more of these bonus Tuesday emails and support my work, become a paid subscriber! You’re on the free list for Austin Kleon. For the full experience, become a paying subscriber. |
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