#straightfromthelab

Straight from the lab

Keys Under a Full Moon: The Treasure Chest Method: Gather, Gestate, Make, Move, Refine

As summer is in full swing I have been weaving small acts of creative alchemy that I would also like to share. It’s five steps, flexible by feel, aimed at producing real outputs with less friction.

Step one: The Jar (Gather) Spend real time collecting images, photographs, reading definitions and articles, listening to talks and taking notes around a single theme—the map of the territory. Then stop. Seal the jar and step away to separate sourcing from making. The pause is part of the process.

Step two: Steep (Immersion) Return and review without forcing decisions. Let the visuals and notes sit together; extract key points; copy the essentials once more if needed.

Step three: Make (Collage first) Build one or more quick digital collages from the set. Low stakes, fast iterations.

Step four: Move (Reset the channel) Movement helps the brain consolidate and clears noise. Walking or biking opens the body so the mind can sort and process at a deeper level. Good time to also incorporate rituals. Below I will have a ritual I maintain for you to try*

Step five: Refine (Stage the piece) Use the momentum to advance your primary work, painting, poem, song, essay. Trim, sequence, and commit to a next action.

Conclusion Every individual action or stage contributes to constructing an extremely valuable outcome, while the methodical approach or discipline of the process itself serves as the key to unlocking it. Together, the cumulative efforts and the structured process enable the attainment of the ultimate reward.

*A small ritual for step four: breathe in four counts, out six, three times. Name three symbols that recur in your sources. Touch something cool (water if you can). Visualize archetypes that are valuable to your project or important to your study methods. For this I thought of Seshat she who tallies and measures when gathering information. Saturn or Chronos, the patient gardener, reminding me that harvest belongs to those who thin the rows. The conductor of the train, knowing time and running on it. The rhythm and style from a B‑boys’ footwork.

How do you currently cultivate creative inspiration in your work? What role do symbolism and astrology play in your artistic practice? Which day this week will you dedicate to refinement?

Inspired by Egyptian scribal lore (Seshat, Thoth), city textures from New York, Style writing, walks by water with my favourite dog, the seasonal lean toward harvest.