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Somewhere between Instagram and Pinterest, the irresistible flatlay was invented. In contrast to its perfectly aligned counterpart knolling, the flatlay features a top down view of a disorderly assortment of items seemingly thrown about in a candid manner. But for all its natural chaotic charm, the flatlay, when done right, is  actually elegantly curated, balanced, and polished to perfection.

Aside: Before retiring, my dad worked at the Toronto Zoo for as long as I can remember as an engineering project manager (his team built animal exhibits). As a kid, I used to go to the zoo a lot to not only see the new season's featured attraction (white tigers, what!), but to marvel at the architecture that enclosed said attractions. I recall distinctly a moment when my dad pointed out a fence of faux logs and recounted the design and engineering discussions that took place in order to make the heights fo the logs look random.

That's essentially what flatlays are about. A lot of planning and thought in order to make something look naturally messy. In today's tutorial, I talk about 6 things you can do to add this element of purposeful variance to your flatlays. Enjoy!

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