Have you ever heard of the “curiosity cabinet”?
These were elaborate glass and wood displays assembled by 19th century explorers. Inside were their favorite artifacts, talismans, and curios from vast adventures around the world. Each object held a story, a lesson, an insight. An invitation to the idea that the world is so much bigger than we realize. Of course, this is the 21st century. Scurvy-free and all.
Yet the curiosity cabinet metaphor applies more than ever. Thanks to the Internet, we can all collect our own displays of inspiration, insight, and education. Sharing it with others in a high-value real-time manner. Today’s “curiosity cabinet” is multimedia: blogs, podcasts, videos, articles, books, etc…serve as a platform to help others see what you see. To invite them into your world of possibility and delight.
Ever since childhood, I’ve been adding to my “curiosity cabinet.”
My mother was a teacher, artist and toy designer. My father, an inventor and mad scientist. So I never knew if my day was going to be an art project or a science experiment.
We even had a manifesto on the wall. It began with: Our home is an exploratorium.
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One of our favorite rituals was Saturday morning garage sales. We would sort through other people’s junk to find material for our creative experiments: artistic projects that would become storytelling treasures. For a birthday or a wedding, we never bought someone a gift. Instead, we would build a world in a box: something that served as a testament to the person’s identity, personality, and presence in the world.
This is the spirit and ethos that my mother taught me:
To look at the world as a never-ending set of creative ingredients.
To foster curiosity and exploration.
To build something epic and meaningful.
With that, I couldn’t be prouder of the newest addition to the family: StoryU Membership.
In case you haven’t heard, we’re creating the world’s leading community for business storytelling. An ever-expanding toolbox to take your storytelling mojo to the next level. And a place to call home amongst a community of collaborators and peers. Our version of the curiosity cabinet.
Come check out StoryU Membership and all that it can inspire for you.
It is the gathering-place; a community of practice. It’s a testament to my mother, and storytelling: the mother of all creations.