Getting organized...

For anyone who's seen my studio recently, disaster zone is a fitting description. I had a path from the door to my work table and everything else was essentially thrown on the floor. And don't even get me started on my "office" space... Anyway my wake up call came when a good friend and fellow artist was over a couple of weeks ago. We'd been talking about messy studios, as if it was someone else's problem...ha!, and the look on her face when she saw my space was priceless. Knowing me well, I don't think she expected to see such chaos which only reinforced how pathetic my situation had become.

So here's the deal, I have limited studio time since I work full-time during the week, and for numerous reasons, I'd been putting off the organizational activities in favor of just creating. But this only increased the mess, the clutter and my denial. In fact, the chaos was preventing me from finding materials, working in proper, safe conditions, and getting things done efficiently. For example, let's take cutting glass. It's best to work on a clean, clear surface with good lighting. Right? Or trash... let's talk about trash. It's sort of a well accepted concept that it should be thrown in a bin or bag and NOT on the floor. blah, blah, blah... so I guess what I'm saying is... "my name is Liza and I had a MESS of a studio + office". There, I said it... and I finally decided to do something about it:

Step 1: I cleared EVERYTHING out my studio, and I mean everything. p.s. not. fun.
Step 2: I selected what would go back into the space... or not. p.s. fun.

Step 3: Lastly every item was given a home, preferably labeled. To help with organization and increase work surface area, I purchased 2 new shelving units and a 4' table. p.s. if you're freakishly organized and enjoy this sort of thing, give me a call.

As an artist who works in multiple media, I tend to collect and accumulate a lot of different materials because you never know what you'll need or may come in handy. However, sometimes that pile gets a little overwhelming and grows untouched for months if not years and there's a point where it needs to be addressed. So anything I hadn't used in 4 years (and yes, it's been 4 glorious years in Plymouth!!), I put in a box, or let's face it, several boxes, and I plan to reassess each item: keep, donate or toss. It's still a work in progress and I have loads more to do but I've made a small dent and I see the light at the end of the tunnel. And now I look forward to working this weekend in a clean, organized space! Pictures of the newly spiffed up spaces to be posted shortly...