Sunday, December 15, 2013

A new year is coming! What do you want to bring?



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.