I’ve been thinking about the things I want to bring with me
into the new year—and the things I want to leave behind. For example, I don’t want to bring my
pile of shoes that need gluing with me into 2014.
Would you believe that I’ve had three pairs of shoes waiting at home for MONTHS
for me to glue them back together?
Something like that, cluttering up my to do list for another
year? No, thank you. No matter how safely ensconced in my to
do list they’ve become, some things just aren’t meant to stay there, no matter how hard they try to blend in.
While I'm leaving shoes-to-be-glued behind, I'm bringing organization with me. Over the past half-year I’ve been working off and on to
build logical homes for all of the regularly occurring papers, project types,
and materials in my studio. It’s
not where I want it to be yet, but there are some things that are solidly
working well. My
whiteboard/corkboard row is excellent for holding and displaying artwork and
projects in progress. Seeing
the rows of colorful artwork always makes me want to create more!
Plus, in Japan, I got some plastic zip pouches for
collecting papers together in and they are fantastic for keeping projects
together—including while on the road. I started using them while we were still in Japan and I truly tested them while on the road trip to Sydney and the Blue Mountains. An added bonus? Until they
get super-full, I can use magnets to hang them from the whiteboard. (I like my in-progress projects
visible).
This doesn’t mean I’ve cleared out all my clutter, dealt
with all my papers, organized all my projects-in-perpetual-state-of-pause, or
figured out how to approach every type of large project. It does mean that I made a dent--and consistently making a dent in something can get it done.
Those papers I threw out? I’ll be dancing with glee, paper free. They’ll be at the
recycling center. All the
papers I filed? They’ll be right
where I need them, right when I need them. The craft supplies I put away? They’ll be right where I need them too.
The (now empty) laundry basket? Already filling with materials for a papier-mâché giraffe’s
armature*! In my studio, organization doesn’t mean
a lack of “stuff.” It means having
space and energy to use my stuff without being frustrated or distracted.
In addition to do list items and clutter, I’ve also been thinking about art and art supplies that
won’t be coming with me.
This
funky orange painting won’t be coming into 2014…at least not in its current
unfinished state! Nor will
my current jar of gesso be coming with me as the last of it was used up
today. (Note that I will be
restocking at the art store tomorrow, so a almost-brand new jar will be on the
shelf as we enter January!)
There’s a framed poster that’s been waiting for almost the whole year
for me to replace the image and find it a home on the wall. As 2013 rolls into 2014, it won’t be
leaning against the wall neglected.
It will (hopefully) be on the wall…or if not on, then at least letting
the last layers of paint dry so it can go up soon! The first layer is drying as I type. The paper that’s been languishing on my
plywood, waiting for me to use it?
It is also painted and drying. Those
canvases that I’ve been saving?
Some of them will be getting used between now and Christmas too.
*Armature: a
base framework for a sculpture…the current plan is that my giraffe will have a cardboard, milk jug, and
plastic grocery bag armature and the papier-mâché will go over it.
