“Do all roads lead here?”: Why your messy maps are closer to your truth

Story 4: You are closer than you think to finding your own mapping language: mess and all.

This is a Map Room post, open to everyone.

A workshop participant once popped a map down on the table between us

I could see inked arrows curled across the page in random directions. Words were scribbled in loose groups and roughly coloured shapes had been layered over the top as an afterthought. The whole thing spoke of restless energy.

We looked at it for a moment and she said: “I don’t think this is working. It’s so messy.”

But as we continued to stare at the page, she leaned forward. She began to trace the path of the arrows with her finger. That physical, embodied gesture - connecting the body with the marks on the paper - elicited an almost imperceptible gasp.

When the map starts speaking back

“Oh! Oh! Do all roads lead here?” She tapped the words “creative solopreneur”.

That embodied gesture and her physical attention aligned with what she’d put onto her map. She saw and felt the connections come alive. The map wasn’t a messy failure; it held a sequence, a hidden story that the structured version of her mind had not clocked.

Finding your own language

I watched her hunch over the map with excitement and curiosity, seeing it now from a new perspective. She added the line: “Do all roads lead here?”

If you often find yourself staring at a page of scribbles and thinking it’s a messy waste of ink, let this be your nudge: you are likely closer than you think to finding your own mapping language.

Looking for updates from my studio?

The Moodling Letter is where I share what I’m working on - from photography and mixed media pieces to hand-drawn maps - along with invitations to exhibitions, open studio days, and workshops (both in-person and online) where you can experience or take part in the process.

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