Hi Reader,

Somewhere along the line, we were told that clean surfaces and color-coded files are the sign of a productive life. And sure, a little order can be nice—but so can the quiet magic of a glorious, living mess.

Right now, my desk is a landscape of paints, sketchbooks, and little scraps of tracing paper with random drawings. It’s not “Instagram-worthy.”

I used to look at this mess as a necessary part of my creative process, yet still felt “bad” about it. I thought I should really be more organized. I just hadn’t figured out how.

Well it turns out there actually is a method to my madness… And probably yours too, Reader.

In a recent article by productivity expert, Tiago Forte, he writes about the surprising benefits of disorder by exploring research from the book A Perfect Mess by Eric Abrahamson and David H. Freedman.

Their conclusion? That "moderately disorganized people, institutions, and systems frequently turn out to be more efficient, more resilient, more creative."

After years of trying to organize my art space and the rest of my life along with it, this insight seemed counterintuitive. How could disorder be MORE efficient?

Here are just a few of the fascinating insights Forte shares:

I never thought about the extra time it takes to keep things "just so." Maybe that time is better spent elsewhere?

And, most surprising to me, Forte points out that mess and disorder can also bring us joy.

“Consider the joy of sorting through antiques and doodads at a flea market, browsing a stack of random magazines, or spelunking through a messy collection of notes and finding something you didn’t even know you were looking for. Messy situations inherently include many qualities we find enlivening and interesting: surprise, delight, exploration, and discovery.”

Randomness can even spark new ideas - a pattern on a ceramic bowl might be an inspiration for a kitchen backsplash or an old photograph could remind you of a story you want to share.

My studio desk is a perfect example of this randomness in action. When I'm searching for a particular color, I might stumble across a sketch I'd forgotten about, or notice how two colors accidentally mixed on my palette in a way that's absolutely perfect for what I'm working on now. These happy accidents rarely happen in perfectly organized spaces.

I've started to think of creative mess as a kind of visual brainstorming. All those scattered materials and unfinished projects become a rich ecosystem of possibilities, waiting for the right moment to connect with each other.

Now this doesn't mean I've abandoned organization entirely. I have a travel case where I keep essential pens and pencils I most frequently use. And I have cubbies and drawers to store art supplies. In fact, despite the mess on my desk right now, I could tidy it all up in about 10 minutes.

But, I don’t have to. Instead I’ve learned that the chaos is often an integral part of my creativity and I embrace it more often.

And best of all, I’ve learned that some of the things I love most are messy and chaotic.

Think about nature - the forest floor covered with fallen leaves in random patterns, a scattering of pine cones, moss growing in unpredictable patterns, wildflowers growing wherever they please, even clouds drifting across the sky in seemingly random shapes. All of it is wild, beautiful, and utterly disorganized.

Why should my studio desk be any different?

So maybe mess isn’t something to eliminate. Maybe we don’t need to be ultra-organized to be productive.

Maybe we can learn to embrace “mess” as a creative ecosystem. A living, breathing archive of half-finished thoughts and stray possibilities.

Maybe your next great idea is hiding under a stack of papers, waiting for you to find it…

After all, sometimes the most magical discoveries happen, not when everything is in its proper place, but when we let go of perfect organization and trust that life knows how to surprise us with exactly what we need.

So if your desk, your sketchbook, or your mind feels a little chaotic right now—don’t rush to tidy it all away. Sit with it. Wander through it. See what ideas might be growing there. I'd love to hear what you find, Reader!

After all, the best treasures are often the ones hiding in the mess. 😉

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Until next week,

Inside My Sketchbook:

This week I've been working on some finished pieces behind the scenes, but I kept up with my sketching practice and had time for two animal sketches that turned out pretty well. The tutorial on sketching tigers from Sarah Watts on YouTube helped me use the tiger's stripes to create volume and depth in his body.

Pictures of the Week:

I had fun at the baby shower this past weekend for my nephew Christian and his wife Barbara. To my delight Winnie the Pooh was the theme!! I especially love the quilt for little Jayden. He'll be here before we know it. 😊

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