Get Organized #1August is officially GET ORGANIZED month at Stitch Machine. I am making a commitment to improve my space. Join me on my journey, and I hope you will improve yours too! Now is the perfect time to purge, donate, and organize, because the busiest season of the year, Fall, will soon be upon us. So let's get it together. Your mind will be clear and you will be able to work more efficiently. You'll be able to put your hands on what you need, when you need it. You'll have a place for everything.
I got a head start by spending two weeks sorting everything in my studio/home, and I will share how in a series of posts this month. If I can get THAT organized, you should have no problem. I still have some work to do in other areas, but so far it feels amazing. And I've already noticed an increase in my productivity as a result.
As a fun way to kick things off, I asked some of my close friends to talk about my studio/apartment. It kind of turned into a "yo mama" contest, but the underlying truth is there. They are the only ones who really see my studio regularly. Professionally, revealing this may be a bad idea, but I take my cue from Alexander Calder and Jennifer Perkins who have shown the world their messy workspaces and still managed to flourish. So here goes nothin':
The Horrible Truth about my Studio
Brought to you by my friends.
*Caution: Rated PG-13 for language and content.
"Yeah her apartment is messy, but she always knows where everything is- because everything is out... where she can see it... everywhere."
"Sometimes the studio just starts taking over."
"Her place used to look like M.C. Escher and Jackson Pollock had a threesome with Lady Gaga, who then promptly gave birth all over her living room."
"I used to have a twin brother until I took him to visit Sarah's apartment."
"Sarah is so disorganized, that she used to have to use a map to find her kitchen."
"If I had a dollar for every time I told Sarah, 'If it had been a snake, it would have bitten you,' I would have enough money to buy Sarah an organizer."
"Her shit was straight distressed, yo!"
"Sarah is so disorganized, that when you walked into her apartment you thought you were at an exhibit entitled 'Life in Chaos' "
"Sarah used to live like some 20-something artist with an up-and-coming art business and a part-time job at [a grocery store]."
THE HARD EVIDENCE
Here are some photos to prove it.
My painting corner.
This photo was taken over a week after I last painted.
My crafting table. This was a pretty good day for the floor, but the table top always looked like this.
Valuable tools were left on the floor by the door where I last used them.
Still needed to unpack from my last craft fair.
And just for laughs, I'll show you a portion of what my bedroom looked like. Notice how it's all messy art stuff and nothing you would think should be in a bedroom? Certainly not a sanctuary.
OK, that was fun. Tomorrow we'll start talking about why my space constantly looked like this, and how I fixed it all.
*Disclaimer: I am an excellent bookkeeper and all of my business files are in their own file cabinet away from everything- that's one thing I am very careful about.
Haha, love all the quotes from your friends! This is a great idea, and I can't wait to read all the follow-up posts.
ReplyDeleteI knew you were a kindred spirit! Your place looks very much like mine. I like to call it "out of chaos comes art."
ReplyDeleteOh. My. Gosh. When I had my studio space in college and then used the spare room in my house, this is exactly what it looked like. "Why do I continue to step over that crumpled paper towel instead of picking it up and throwing it away?" Now all of the art stuff has been [temporarily] replaced with kids' toys, hairbrushes, and board books. Same mess, different theme.
ReplyDeleteBUT...in college I had a friend whose workspace was very neat, and all her stuff kept getting stolen. Mine? Never touched. Because no one could find anything. Or maybe they were afraid of contracting something.