Breaking It to Make It: How KID Museum Fuels Boundless Creativity

On a recent afternoon at KID Museum in Bethesda, Maryland, the air buzzed with curiosity and creative energy. Wires, tools, and materials filled vibrant spaces designed to invite exploration, play, and invention. This ethos of “break it to make it” defines KID Museum and serves as a guiding principle for its team.

At the Creative Museums Summit 2024, Jacqueline Eyl, Gabriel Mellan, and Jake Sanford from KID Museum shared their unique approach to fostering a culture where curiosity, experimentation, and collaboration thrive—offering museum professionals a roadmap for unlocking creative potential in their own spaces.

Designing Joyful, Flexible Spaces for Exploration

Physical space plays a pivotal role in sparking creativity. KID Museum’s environments are intentionally designed to invite exploration and lower barriers to entry. Spaces are organized around themes—woodworking, electronics, textiles—making tools and resources easily discoverable, whether intentionally sought out or stumbled upon by chance.

Gabriel Mellan emphasized the importance of spaces that feel joyful and welcoming, reflecting the playful spirit of making:

“You spend so much time at work, and I realized the space where I spend so much time should be joyful. Kaboom, bananas on the door. You know what’s up.”

Clear organization ensures visitors and staff can confidently navigate materials and tools, empowering creativity without unnecessary friction.

Prioritizing Time for Open-Ended Tinkering

Beyond physical spaces, KID Museum emphasizes the value of uninterrupted time for brainstorming, tinkering, and prototyping. Gabriel highlighted the need for what he calls “big bites of flow”—periods of focused, unstructured time that allow creativity to emerge naturally:

“Creativity needs room, and uninterrupted focus time helps us feel more steady. This is like a big brain focusing activity, and that big brain activity needs a ramp-up time.”

Protected windows of time for staff and visitors aren’t just logistical choices—they represent a belief that creativity isn’t an add-on but a core part of the museum’s rhythm.

For team projects, having physical spaces to track and display progress—such as visual boards or walls—keeps ideas visible, adaptable, and collaborative.

Honoring Different Creative Journeys

Creativity looks different for everyone. Some team members thrive with clear prompts, while others prefer a free-flowing approach to experimentation. Jake Sanford highlighted this dynamic:

“For every person on your team, it’s going to be a little bit different, and that’s okay. You all need to work with your own creative process and come up with your own ideas. If it doesn’t look the same for everybody, that’s exactly what we have the team for.”

This flexibility ensures that individual sparks of inspiration can flourish without being constrained by rigid processes.

Building Trust as a Foundation for Creativity

Trust is the bedrock of KID Museum’s creative culture. Gabriel underscored the importance of creating an environment where failure isn’t feared but embraced as a valuable part of the process:

“Now, a lot of times when we break things, we think, ‘Oh my God, I’m failing. I’m not doing it right.’ But I often remind my team like, ‘If you’re breaking things, you’re still doing it right. You’re still on the path.’”

He also emphasized the importance of vulnerability and transparency in team dynamics, as well as avoiding behaviors—like casual criticism or “trash-talking”—that could undermine trust.

Embracing Mindset Reminders

Throughout KID Museum, short, memorable prompts serve as mental guideposts for both staff and visitors:

• “Stay Off the Sidewalk”: Innovation often means stepping off well-trodden paths and exploring unconventional approaches.
• “Break It to Make It”: View failures—or literal deconstructions—as opportunities for insight.
• “Unlimited U-Turns”: Creativity thrives when iteration is encouraged, and missteps are seen as opportunities to refine ideas.

These reminders act as nudges, keeping the team anchored in a playful and resilient mindset as they tackle creative challenges.

Implications for Museum Professionals: A Call to Action

KID Museum’s vibrant, staff-led approach offers valuable takeaways for institutions seeking to energize their programs and spaces:

• Make Physical Spaces Inviting: Add playful, functional design elements that lower barriers to exploration.
• Guard Time for Idea Development: Prioritize uninterrupted blocks of creative time for your team.
• Foster a Supportive Culture: Create an environment where trust thrives, and failure is celebrated as a learning opportunity.
• Embrace Flexible Processes: Honor different creative styles and approaches within your team.

Call to Action: Take a cue from KID Museum—give your team permission to explore, play, and fail forward. Whether it’s creating a “tinker zone” with leftover materials or introducing weekly brainstorming sessions, small steps can lead to big transformations in how your museum approaches creativity and visitor engagement.

Conclusion

KID Museum’s playful blend of unstructured exploration, trust-building practices, and intentional design illustrates what’s possible when institutions prioritize creativity. From physical spaces to team dynamics, the museum shows how fostering curiosity and embracing experimentation can drive meaningful innovation.

At its core, KID Museum’s ethos is about more than just building exhibits—it’s about building a future where creativity is accessible, celebrated, and nurtured for every visitor and team member. As Gabriel Mellan puts it:

“You’ve got to trust. Because you’re not going to go far if you don’t have trust. So figure that out.”