Ahh, Wunderkammern, wie lieb ich dich

I am finding Wunderkammern, or Cabinets of Curiosity, exponentially increasingly thrilling. I want to make one so badly and live in a variation of one like this guy (check out the slideshow). Here's that bubbly inspiration feeling boiling up again. I also have this thing where I give myself too much credit and think "ahh, my idea's been taken already" and get really frustrated. In actuality, however, no idea is original, and I really have no basis for thinking my ideas are being taken. I think I just try too hard to be different sometimes. Instead of thinking "oh, it's already been done...next!" I should think, "hey, what great inspiration, I should get going!"

How crazy and delightfully bizarre is this:

(from Sean Scherer's great house in the NY Times article linked above)

I am always thinking, "hey, I should do more like my Double-Headed Doodle Bird and my Butterfly with Antlers," but those don't come as often as other, easier things (especially things that I can sell). It seems like I've learned nothing from the inspiring books I've read like The Gift which tells you (in part) to not follow your creativity toward money but rather toward fulfillment. Of course, that would be great, but unfortunately not as practical as the former. Maybe you can do both? That's my major goal.

Here are some more Wunderkammer-type images to wet your creative palette:

Oh- and go check out the Cabinet of Curiosities Blog from Lady Lavona. She just put up a great post about a wonderful Wunderkammer/Cabinet of Curiosities artist that I can't wait to check out...I'm thinking inspiration now!