Known best for her book "The Life-Changing Art of Tidying Up", Marie Kondo is a professional tidyer. Making a career off of teaching readers and listeners how to do what they hate is complex, and requires a far more creative mind than most might expect. Her motto, to keep only the things that "Spark Joy" has stuck with me for years. Rather than searching for reasons to get rid of something, keep the things that bring you enough joy that you can't part with them.
While simplified, this motto, and the "KonMarie method" built Marie Kondo into a multimillion-dollar franchise, including books, television shows, and a consulting business. This inspiration, and the drive to create such large-scale change in the cleaning culture of the world, started early. Kondo's first memory of seeing tidying as an art was inspired by reading her mother's home design magazines, which she saw as artistic reference, rather than just a guide. Her "Spark Joy" method was solidified through an experience she had as a teenager, where she passed out while cleaning. When she woke up, she saw a "glow" around objects which truly brought her joy, inspiring the phrase.
Kondo's process is very organized. By creating a list, and a routine, she can leave space for her mind to be truly creative. Whether this is working with a client to determine the best method for tidying their home, effectively communicating a method of tidying through writing or designing new products for her store, each process is meticulously planned. Her belief is that having your home in order will put your mind in order.
I enjoyed reading about Kondo's process, and the inspiration for her methods. Tidying is a less-known art form, with very complex methods, similar to scientific work. Something that engages the left side of the brain appears less creative to people, but it is just as creatively inspired and requires complex problem-solving skills. This reminded me of Isaacson's book, which may not appear to be a story of the creative process to most. I see it as a similarly categorized story to Kondo's, demonstrating how logistical processes follow a process much like that of creative/artistic processes.
Sources:
https://www.thecut.com/2018/03/marie-kondo-lifechanging-magic-tidying-up-interview.html
