Curiosity and Art Creation - or Why Artists Have Clutter

"Artists are always watching for ideas, for points of view, for artifacts that might be helpful.  An artist walking along the beach might find a dramatic piece of driftwood, eroded in an interesting way.  The driftwood doesn't fit into any project the artist is working on right now; it's just compelling on its own.  The smart artist takes the driftwood home, displays it on a shelf, and in a month or in a decade, the artist looks up, notices the driftwood again - and turns it into art," Brian Grazer and Charles Fishman, A Curious Mind.