Move Your Stuff

Recently I've been re-re-organizing my studio. How the cycle goes is that I start working on a project. I get out the supplies. I work on it and I make a mess. Then I move on to another project without having fully cleaned up from the previous one. It's sort of a downward spiral where I get out more supplies and don't put them away. I also end up bringing in more stuff throughout this process. I work on more projects, make more messes and bring in more stuff until all my work surfaces get filled up and I start stacking things on the floor. You get the idea.

Eventually my mind is overwhelmed by the visual disarray and I only come up to the studio to use the computer and I stop working entirely on any artwork or projects. Eventually I get so tired of the mess that I have to re-organize before I can continue on to other activities. I'm driven by a sort of guilt about having this great studio space and not using it.

In the past I have often felt like a failure. I saw it as failure from ongoingly succumbing to making such a mess and neglecting to deal with it in a timely manner. With this particular re-organization I finally discovered the value of this cycle.

I forget that I have filled my studio with tons of really cool stuff. When I physically put my hands on it while re-arranging I get all jazzed up with ideas. Straightening up and moving things around makes me see what's here. I imagine it's sort of like what coming out of an amnesia fog feels like. Even if I am just moving books from the top shelf to the bottom shelf or vice versa I find I keep saying, "Oh, yeah, I forgot about that" over and over again.

Try moving things around your space to remember what you already have. Even if it means moving this pile of papers to this other spot and replacing it with that pile of books that you've been meaning to read. Isn't it grand to cherish what we already have? And maybe even the action will lead to inspiration...