The Nugget Test is a beautiful way to make sure your stuff adds to your life, without getting bored with it. When you’re buying something, ask yourself: is there a nugget of good conversation here? Something better to say about the piece than “it looks good” or “it was on sale.” Everything you own for those reasons, you will eventually tire of.
Connection is the antidote to boredom. This is truest of all with the art in your life, because art should resonate at a deeper level and vibrate with meaning. Let me give you an example. The first book to impact me deeply was Man’s Search for Meaning, by Viktor Frankl. An Auschwitz survivor who shares how, when you have meaning in your life, you can endure anything. However, a deeper meaning is not normal. It's something you have to choose. And according to Frankl, it doesn’t matter what you choose. Whether you want to be a swimming coach, a brain surgeon, or an art advisor, happiness comes from having a deeper meaning in life and a clear sense of purpose.
This book floors me, which then in turn led me to discover this artwork.
When I saw this piece, that's exactly what I thought: choose a path. It doesn't matter which path. Just choose one.
And here’s the kicker. I have no idea if this artist intended this meaning. And I don’t care. It has that meaning for me. And meaning is what we make it. Which creates the conversation that passes the Nugget Test.
If you'd like some help finding art that passes the Nugget Test, get in touch below.
It’s a question to ask before you buy anything for your home: is there a nugget of good conversation here? Something better to say than “it looks good” or “it was on sale.” Everything you own for those reasons, sooner or later, you will bin it or give it away. Connection is the antidote to trifle.
Ask yourself whether there is something better to say about it than “it looks good” or “it was on sale.” If there isn’t, it fails. If there is, that’s the nugget.
It can apply to anything you bring into your home, but it is most true with art. Art should resonate at a deeper level and vibrate with meaning.
No. I have no idea if this artist intended the meaning I found in this piece. And I don’t care. It has that meaning for me. Meaning is what we make it. Which creates the conversation that passes the Nugget Test.
The role is to find nuggets that mean something to you specifically.
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