Welcome

Welcome to cliffguren.com—the home of metaphor, my free weekly newsletter on tools for a productive creative life.

As you explore the site, you’ll find articles on:

• Creativity

• Mental models

• Productivity and personal knowledge management

• Software applications for creative work

• The arts and aesthetics

But these topics are just peaks in a range of related subjects. Writing about tools for a productive creative life means writing about what makes us human—about personal growth, culture, and hope.

We homo sapiens are tool makers. As Yuval Noah Harari writes in Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind, “The first evidence for tool production dates from about 2.5 million years ago, and the manufacture and use of tools are the criteria by which archaeologists recognize ancient humans.” Maker culture tells us I think, I make, therefore I am.

The development of culture is deeply tied to our development of and relationship with tools. Tools and techniques (aka "know how") are byproducts of our creative problem-solving skills. They are manifestations of our desire to do better, to improve. Art is also an expression of our creative problem-solving skills and our desire to give our lives meaning. Any discussion on how to live a productive creative life will inevitably touch on these essential spiritual and motivational issues.

Thank you for exploring these engaging topics with me. I'm grateful for your time and attention.

Please contact me with your questions, comments, and suggestions. I look forward to hearing from you!