clutter is fertile ground

Below is the picture of Steve Jobs' office: such a juxtaposition to his aesthetic of design and drive,
and proof that seeming contradictions are possible.

My own personal clutter that I struggle with is less centered around things:
being involved in so many different activities.
I was at a seminar on performance anxiety, where the speaker brought up the over-active mind.
And it was valuable to hear that the active mind was a valuable asset,
and that the over-active part was valuable if directed towards a beneficial target, namely sharing.
the opposite of which is perfectionism.

Anne Lamott has long been a favorite of mine.

I love this excerpt from the wonderful book, Bird by Bird,

applicable to all of us who have the flotsam and jetsam that stems from the desire to create,

whether physical, emotional, or how we choose to spend our time.

Lamott cautions that perfectionism is not only counter-productive 

but blocks playfulness and thus creativity.

Perfectionism is the voice of the oppressor, the enemy of the people. It will keep you cramped and insane your whole life, and it is the main obstacle between you and a shitty first draft. I think perfectionism is based on the obsessive belief that if you run carefully enough, hitting each stepping -stone just right, you won’t have to die. The truth is that you will die anyway and that a lot of people who aren’t even looking at their feet are going to do a whole lot better than you, and have a lot more fun while they’re doing it.

Besides, perfectionism will ruin your writing, blocking inventiveness and playfulness and life force (these are words we are allowed to use in California). Perfectionism means that you try desperately not to leave so much mess to clean up. But clutter and mess show us that life is being lived. Clutter is wonderfully fertile ground— you can still discover new treasures under all those piles, clean things up, edit things out, fix things, get a grip. Tidiness suggests that something is as good as it’s going to get. Tidiness makes me think of held breath, of suspended animation, while writing needs to breathe and move.

via {farnam street}