Room of Ideas
I wrote this during a particularly dull class in my 3rd year of undergrad architecture studies. There is something about these absolutely mundane moments that trigger most of my imagination. In one such moment of drudgery, I impulsively scribbled this piece at the back of a notebook, totally zoned out, not unlike half of my batch mates.
I am somewhat embarrassed by it, by the simplicity and naivety of it, but at the same time jealous of my lack of awareness and critique at that time. I can’t write like this anymore. I would have labelled it shitty before anyone could have read it or not written this at all. As I have grown up, so has my inner critical voice, shaped by a slightly more aware mind, higher standards for self, and a sharper objective reality around me.
The purpose of this is simply to share, express, and maybe revisit an older self. Also, I was thrilled with it at that point in time. The article is verbatim - no edits, not even a grammar check. I have resisted any urge to change parts I found cringe-worthy.
‘The greatest mysteries of the world’ — this probably takes you to a discovery channel show, maybe a history class…okay maybe some invention or or…architecture and all that. But to me the greatest mystery of the world is ‘creativity’. I have always wondered what that is. An actual talent, a reserve of ideas like diamonds in a cave, will they get over someday, is it internal, do we have to find a way to it, is it a gift only some people have, is it just a feeling or a phase, is it just a sharper ability to think but everybody can think right?
If I had to define it personally, it is umm…like a secret room in everybody’s mind. I think most people don’t know this room exists. I think it is like the ‘Room of Requirements’ (let us thank J. K. Rowling for putting that into words and the movies for putting that into our imagination). But of course creativity isn’t just that. It is a room one goes to morph and twist the things we see around us.
Often we see something, perceive it, process it and all that cognitive shizz but some people take it to the ‘room of umm..ideas’ and think about all other things and ideas it triggers.
Well you could just see something and move on or maybe you could take it to the room and think over it. Maybe something new comes up, maybe nothing happens and then you leave your thinking and move on saying ‘until next time’. Some people don’t know such a place exists in their mind, some visit it sometime, some quite often, some are afraid of this room and some practically dwell in it.
When I studied in a convent when I was a kid, they would teach us proverbs or whatever they are called and they made us remember ‘cleanliness is next to godliness’. Of course it is but don’t ever clean your ‘Room of Ideas’. Make it like a junkyard, hoard anything you observe. Infact you can’t really clean it, there are no cupboards or shelves or rooms.
But it is still hard to figure things out. Because you don’t know if the door will get jammed some day, or things inside will rust or decay or maybe new rooms open so you will forget this one. Maybe it stays there and causes you trouble, burdens you. Maybe the things and observations you stored were not very useful. This is a metaphor for why exposure, conversations, travel, mindfulness and observations are important: to store more useful things.
When our professors want concepts or someone asks us to think ‘creatively’ they try to forcefully push us to this room. I don’t know if it works that way.
There are still so many questions. Does this room expand? Can you visit it anytime or only when this room opens its door to you?
I think the class got over after this.
