Ok, ok, the stuff in the picture on the left is tidy, and my home is not always tidy, for instance, this is my desk today:
The point, though, is the same, in the left or in the right picture. Should one have stuff? Or are streamlining and decluttering really the way forward? All shall be revealed in a book that I intend to write between now and the third millennium, with the provisional title: Clutter is Good. Some sneak preview revelations: the picture on the left is Rembrandt's cabinet of curiosities. The picture on the right is, as previously mentioned, my desk. (please don't zoom in to see the Stationers' papers, they are private). The way in which stuff organises or dis-organises itself in our surroundings provides a vital source of inspiration and associations. This is why many artists tend to also be avid collectors. This is also why cabinets of curiosities were so important for scientific discovery. Mental associations, the desire to understand, to link things together. Stuff can be vital and vibrant. If it is vital and vibrant. If it is a pointless accumulation of rubbish and a monument to fears and neglect, well, perhaps streamlining is better.
