My studio has been under-utilized these last few months. While, much of life has been the reason, there is also the excuse of it being ‘under construction’. I’m changing the set up in hopes of it becoming conducive to a new season of art making. That calls first for organizing and purging. Tedious to my personality type, but so very needed on a semi-regular basis.

Once space is reclaimed, I anticipate an atmosphere where I’m able to breathe once again. Not that I’m in a hurry to fill the space up, but there is the opportunity to surround myself with new things I find inspiring in this current season and replace ones that have grown stale.

“There are times when you need to assess your space, figure out if it’s working for you, and fix the things that are barriers to productivity.”  

– Cyndi Souder, Ten Tips For Organizing Your Studio

One thing Im committed to keep on my bulletin board is this picture of me when I was a kid. It reminds me that even when I was little, all I wanted to be was an artist. (Here I am with drawing pad and deep thoughts.) This visual in my workspace provides not only a dose of nostalgia, but encouragement and drive on the days I struggle.

And while cleaning, I’m left to wonder if its really order I need to create or chaos? Because, it seems I swing from one to the other. Some days my studio mess is revolting, other days it welcomes me in to begin where I last last off.

You can imagine how comforting I found this passage I recently read:

“Chaos and order are not held together simultaneously, but the creative mind swings between the two poles, needing both to function productively…

Chaos space is akin to manic energy in that they both provide an environment that enables fluid thought in the creative process. What normal people think of as chaotic…is actually an environment of excitement and exploration to the creative mind. A certain kind of chaos is complementary with the creative process and is therefore energizing to the creative mind.”

I guess the key is that “certain” kind of chaos. I must have recently drifted out of the certain part and into more “uncertain” territory.

”…Conversely, the creative mind needs ordered space to provide the anchor for productivity. While chaos space is necessary for perception and for certain amount of discovery, the order space of a creative discipline facilitates the production phase of the creative process.”  

 – Jeff & Julie Crabtree, Living with a Creative Mind

So what do you know, I’m a perfectly “normal” artist!

What started me on this current quest for re-organization was my husband’s kind and supportive act of making me a proper art table…something I have never previously owned. What a gift and inspiration to organize my studio so as to maximize its function. I think he had an inkling of the kick in the bum I needed to get going again. And, I happily receive both the gift and the kick. With my table now being the centerpiece of my studio, I am going to work the rest of the space and storage around it.

What do you need in your work space to facilitate a new season of creativity?

My next mission? Spreading the organizational love to my 5 year old son’s art space… ‘nuff said.