After watching Nina Simon’s Ted talk and reading the preface to The Participatory Museum, I started questioning if I have ever been able to actively participate and create change in the many museums I have stepped foot in. I have encountered exhibitions that asked visitors to leave notes but I haven’t felt super compelled to actually leave any messages. Simon’s point in her talk where she shows the differences in the messages left behind on rectangular white sheets as compared to blue hexagonal sheets made me think back to other situations where I have decided to engage. For example, at the Muji on Newbury, they had a holiday event where you could write down your wishes and hang them up on an installation. There was a plethora of colorful crayons and markers and you would write your responses on a little plank of wood hung off of a silky red ribbon. Aside from just the aesthetics, the way in which my contributions were framed and shown made me feel like my thoughts, even though they were just arbitrary wishes, feel valued. Simon really proves that when steps are taken to increase engagement, they need to serve the said communities, while making them feel like the time the take feels worthwhile.