Curating is a pretty popular concept floating around the Christian creative community. Curating is more about using the tools and ideas around you rather than creating everything from scratch. As a one-man creative team, I’ve had to learn the art of curation. I’ve learn to manage and take advantage of resources instead of buckling under the pressure to create from scratch. You collect inspiration and ideas. You saturate your mind with other people’s work. Here are five reasons you should learn the art of curating:
- Curating allows you to get much more done than creating.
A museum curator doesn’t create all of the paintings. He displays them. He makes a much larger impact by resourcing other people’s work. - Curating makes you a better creator.
This follows the “teacher learns more than the student” philosophy. As you are taking in all the resources, you learn to discern what makes good art and what makes art that shouldn’t be displayed. I’ve been learning that running ChurchStageDesignIdeas.com. I’ve become a much better stage designer simply through curating other people’s designs. - Curating keeps your creativity well full.
It’s much easier to get inspired when you’re consuming massive amounts of creativity. - Curating keeps us from becoming self-absorbed.
A curator highlights others’ work. Though they are vitally important to the process, they don’t get the glory from the pieces they display. You rarely hear of curators chopping off their ears and marrying their cousins. The self-absorbed artists do that. - Curating keeps us humble.
We are all curating. There’s nothing new under the sun. Every idea is built upon previous works. When we acknowledge that we’re merely stewarding the inspiration and ideas that have been passed down, we stay humble. Ultimately every good thing given and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights. It’s vital to remember that.
How well have you adopted the art of curating?
Good post. I am more of a curator than a creator for church graphic design work thanks to my best friend http://www.creationswap.com.
Exactly. Love that site. 🙂
Good post. I am more of a curator than a creator for church graphic design work thanks to my best friend http://www.creationswap.com.
Exactly. Love that site. 🙂