The Inner Curator

Choosing What We Let In

Photographed at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston

“The ability to simplify means to eliminate the unnecessary so that the necessary may speak.”

Hans Hofman

When was the last time you wandered through a museum and thought about the curator behind the exhibit? Probably never. Most of us don’t stop to consider how carefully each piece has been selected, how the entire space has been arranged with intention, or how the story is being told through every detail.

But in many ways, we are curators, too. Every single day, life throws an overwhelming amount of information, emotions, and distractions our way. And just like a museum curator, we have a choice: Do we let everything in, or do we take the time to decide what truly belongs?

What Happens When We Let Everything In?

Imagine if a museum just accepted every piece of art that showed up at its door—no selection process, no structure, no careful arrangement.

What a mess it would be.

And yet, that’s exactly what so many of us do. We absorb every bit of news, every opinion, every stressful situation, every piece of noise without a second thought. We let everything in, and before we know it, our minds are as cluttered as a storage room full of broken artifacts, forgotten ideas, and unfinished thoughts.

We are constantly fed a stream of external influences—news cycles, social media, opinions, even personal struggles—all demanding to be our number one priority. And if we don’t take the time to curate what belongs in our mental space, we’ll find ourselves drowning in a collection of thoughts that don’t serve us.

“The mind is not a vessel to be filled but a fire to be kindled.”

Plutarch

If we don’t become intentional about what we allow into our personal gallery, we risk losing ourselves in the clutter.

The Power of Being Intentional with Our Inputs

A great curator doesn’t just collect—they choose. They decide what stays, what goes, and how each piece contributes to the overall experience.

We can do the same.

We don’t have to mindlessly accept everything that comes our way—the stress, the negativity, the endless distractions. We can slow down and ask ourselves; Does this strengthen me? Does it belong in my personal gallery? Or is it just taking up space?

Curating isn’t about just keeping the good and tossing the bad—it’s about arranging our experiences in a way that gives them meaning. The stories we tell ourselves, the way we frame our memories, the way we process challenges—all of it shapes the way we move through the world.

Creating Quiet Spaces in the Mind

Ever notice how the most powerful exhibits in a museum aren’t framed wall to wall? They leave space. They let each piece breathe. They create moments of quiet so that meaning can settle in.

Our minds need that, too.

“Almost everything will work again if you unplug it for a few minutes, including you.”

Anne Lamott

One of my own - collaged from its original.

In a world that constantly demands our attention, choosing stillness is an act of self-respect. Making space for quiet doesn’t mean shutting the world out—it means giving ourselves room to process, reflect, and exist without the constant pressure to react.

Living as an Intentional Curator

We don’t have control over every distraction, every voice, every event happening outside of us. But we do have control over what we let in, what we turn away, and how we arrange what stays.

“The greatest thing in the world is to know how to belong to oneself.”

Michel de Montaigne

A Curator doesn’t hoard. They sift, refine, and create meaning. They know that not everything deserves space in their gallery.

So, ask yourself today:

What are you curating?

Are you filling your mind with things that strengthen you?

What can you let go of to make space for something better?

What will you curate today?

Talk soon…

G