Bricolage refers to construction or creation achieved by using whatever materials are at hand
It’s about the skilful deployment of available resources to deal with immediate problems
Making something out of the available resources, whether in art, design, or problem-solving
French Roots: The French verb “bricoler” means “to putter about,” and a “bricoleur” is a jack-of-all-trades
The term comes from French social anthropologist Claude Lévi-Strauss
In The Savage Mind he shows that the Bricoleur uses whatever is at hand to turn old plans locked in concrete into a new and better outcome
He likened the artist’s process to that of a handyman who solves problems with available materials
Interestingly, Levi Strauss proposes that the opposite of the Bricoleur is the Engineer
Narrative Context: In storytelling, bricolage involves piecing together elements to create a narrative. Think of it as assembling fragments into a meaningful whole
Career: having a successful career involves different combinations of skills that come together in sometimes unexpected ways