I’ve played around with mind maps for decades, but only recently did I think of mixing them with art.
As a first step, I mind-mapped what I consider my life purpose based on the reading and introspection I’ve been doing for about three years. Here’s what I came up with.
These are some themes that revealed themselves as I mind-mapped. I love…
- Learning via books, note cards (Zettels), and journaling.
- Making art by exploring new connections between old concepts (e.g., mind mapping and mural making).
- Sprinting. I.e., making progress in short high-intensity bursts: Work, rest, and iterate.
- Sharing. To attract other like-hearted people so we (as a group) can grow.
Putting all this together.
I’ve realised that I’m an artist at heart, although this art doesn’t involve painting or sculpting in the traditional sense. Rather, I love finding connections between ideas and concepts I come across and using them to create something new. (Austin Kleon introduces this concept in his book Steal Like An Artist.) But there are so many ways to present my findings. And this mind map installation is an example of me slowly letting the artist in me emerge. It’s me turning discoveries of my life’s purpose into art.