Since mid-February, I've been on a purging binge in my studio. Being a mixed media artist with a tiny studio space, my collections and hoardings have become way out of hand in the last couple years. It's all fine and well to amass many things as a mixed media artist, but the reality comes when I realize I don't use most of it. Even if I'm keeping it around for when inspiration strikes, usually breaking it all out and making a colossal mess, generally results in a feeling of personal overwhelm. Then I clean it all up because my space is small. I like a tidy workspace. Don't get me wrong, in the throes of creativity, I'm super messy, as it should be for me....but my habits are to clean it all up when I mess up every surface and then find myself working on the floor in a tiny 2 ft. space.
I have great plans of renovating and sprucing up this space in the fall when we return from our summer time in North Carolina....so I've been taking time each week to sort, to sell on ebay and privately, to carry "treasures" to the flea market, but I want things to be very clean and trim and lean and mean. I've passed the point in my life where I need to keep collecting things, and I'm happy to work with what I have in the moment.
It's taken me several days of each week for the last 3+ months, but now I'm seeing some headway and it's looking good!
How do you work? Do you like to hoard things? Do you like a sparse creative space? What makes you personally feel most creative?
7 comments:
There really is a fine line between a positive creative chaos and an energy-draining mess. Been there, done that. One day it's just a fun workspace with beads and supplies all around you that inspired and spurs the imagination, but then one day you look up and it's cluttered, unorganized and messy. It's not just a matter of how much stuff are out or if you have sufficient storage, though that can be part of it too. It's mental more than anything else.
Often after or during a slump, I tidy up, reorganize and/or destash as it's part of starting something new. It needs to be done every now and then -- and especially when you're feeling stuck.
It is so hard to 'remove' items from our art rooms!! I just know I'll "need" that item someday!! And then what will I do!!!! BUT...we just got back from Florida and I always do my purging then...so easy to do at this time rather than waiting...then I won't get rid of anything! :)
Clutter absolutely stops my creativity, so it's amazing how often I let my space get messy. I'm on a mission to keep it clean and really declutter. I want to make sure I repurpose things and don't create garbage in the world if at all possible. I've been distributing books and videos to Free Little Libraries around town. Now I want to remove art supplies for things I no longer do (non-bead items). There is an art gallery in town that has a Re-Art Swap every year. I'm going to take the items I don't use any more there. I do, however, like to hoard beads. So if I find any good beads at the swap, I will give those a good home. :)
Thank you Barbara..I hope we can meet when you are here. With me if I can't see it I forget about it so I tend to make piles. This upsets my creative energy after a while bc it starts to look like ant hills have sprung up everywhere. I like a small comfortable space bc if my space was bigger I would have way tooooooo many piles!
I definitely end up surrounded by mess, but I have to say that since my last clean up, I have gotten a tiny bit better. I have been working extra hard not to take that one extra minute it takes to put things back on the shelf that is in arms reach. It's not perfect, but definitely better.
My jewelry 'bench' is also my day-time work desk (day job stuff) so I have to completely clean up it every single time I get anything out to create. This has been known to put a bit of a damper on the creative juices on occasion, but I cannot stand any sort of mess what so ever, so clean, neat and organized is my preference as clutter completely stops me in my tracks. Although, I do long for the day when I can actually have bookcases or shelves where I can see all of my supplies because it's true with me, 'outta sight, outta mind'!
At the end of a creative frenzy I raise my head to piles of hammers, bits of metal, and leather and chain strewn everywhere. But I clean up after every mess. I then get really crazy about twice a month and take a blower to my studio. Wouldn't that be nice if we could do that to the house?? Maybe I will try that this weekend. Lol
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