Do you need a low stress way to include seven minutes of creative contemplation into your week? Consider this your helpful nudge towards a slightly more creative life. If it helps, come back every week for a quick hit of creative contemplation. Each week I’ll share a new nudge. It will include a Thing (T), a Place (P), and a Sense(S) for your focus, a TPS creative nudge.
Last week, we followed our noses on a sensory journey, exploring the world through scents and memories. Did you find a new appreciation for the subtle fragrances around you, or perhaps rediscover a forgotten memory through a familiar smell? Did you craft a new perfume just in time for the holiday buying season? Maybe you mediated upon the meaning of having two noses? Whether you were sniffing out stories or meditating on your dual nasal capacities, I hope it brought a fresh breath of inspiration into your creative life. If anything, it may have led you right to this week’s object of creative inspiration.
As we approach the heart of the holiday season, our creative nudge finds us in the kitchen, a place of warmth, family, and, of course, leftovers. Our focus? The humble yet indispensable Tupperware. These food storage containers are more than just plastic boxes; they are keepers of flavors, memories, and spectacular culinary attempts. They come in all manner of shapes and sizes but are all microwave safe…whatever that means. Let's dive into a multisensory exploration using Tupperware and one or more of these creative activities:
- Memory Meal Match: Open your Tupperware and take a deep breath. What do you smell? Is it the tangy aroma of last night's spaghetti sauce or the sweet scent of homemade cookies? Let each scent take you on a journey. Write down the memories associated with these aromas.
- Tupperware Orchestra: Pick a few containers. Shake them, tap their lids, and listen to the sounds they make. Do they have a rhythm, a melody, perhaps a unique timbre? Arrange them in order of their pitch or the quality of sound they produce. Can you create a simple tune or rhythm?
- Visual Feast: Arrange your Tupperware. Look at the colors, shapes, and sizes. How do they interact with the light? How do the shadows fall? Sketch a still life, focusing on these elements. If drawing isn't your thing, try arranging them in a way that pleases your eye – maybe in a pattern or a color gradient. This exercise is about seeing the beauty in functional objects and the art in organization.
- Tupperware Time Capsule: Choose a Tupperware container and fill it with small items that represent your current life – a ticket stub, a recipe, a photograph, a trinket. Seal it and write today's date on it. Decide on a future date to open it, whether it's in a few months or a year. This activity is a physical manifestation of capturing a moment in time, a way to connect with your future self, and a reminder of the ever-changing nature of life.
Tupperware, in its simple utility, holds more than just leftovers. It holds stories, sounds, sights, and memories. As you engage with these activities, let these humble containers remind you of the richness of everyday life. These containers remind us that there are more good things to come. They're not just about preserving food; they're about savoring moments, capturing memories, and finding creativity in the most unexpected places.
So, if you find yourself in the kitchen as you navigate the hustle of this holiday season, take a moment to appreciate these small but significant vessels of daily life. Keep choosing moments to find harmony in everyday objects and appreciating the mundane symphony provided by our possessions.
Note: This column written with the help of ChatGPT Plus and related Plugins.
