It's Not The Size That Matters
9:54 AM
I've always heard size matters.
However, in the case of our studios, I'm not sure it does.
Above is a photo of my desk's current state. The greenish colored cutting mat is 3 feet by 2 feet and it's on top of a desk that is 5 feet by 3.5 feet…and yet, I work in an area that is maybe 14 inches by 10 inches!
The area where the glasses and pen rest are the only clean horizontal area on the desk! (Actually, in the whole studio, but that's a discussion for another day.)
What's odd (to me) is that this desk was "mostly" clean last weekend. I think.
I had a pile in the upper left corner, my palette on the lower right along with my journal.
What happened!?!
Looking at the image, you can begin to get an idea of what I've been "messing" around with this week.
I've been working on learning and practicing pointed-pen lettering, working in my journal with some different ideas that include stamps and various pieces of paper as well as a hodgepodge of stuff that has accumulated on the desk.
For whatever reason, the desk is the landing place for just about any and every item that finds its way into the studio.
I have to say it's getting a bit crowded.
My husband's off to play with his dad and uncle tomorrow and while he's otherwise occupied, I see a big clean up in the very near future!
Normally, I'm not a huge fan of clean up time (you'd never have guessed, right?), but one thing I do like is the discovery of things forgotten.
Those items that have been buried at the bottom of the pile that I had big plans for when they first landed on the table.
And with that mess, who knows what I might discover!
So what's on your desk? If I were to walk into your work area, could I tell what you've been working on lately?
If you have a photo of your desk, please share! I'd love to know that I'm not the only one who suffers from pile-itis!!
21 Creative Thought(s)
My desk is a mess today, as is the whole of my office, courtesy of You-Know-Who, who spends her nights exploring and destroying in my office. I can't blame it all on her, however, as I continue to battle with keeping every piece of paper and book that comes into arm's reach. I have several stacks of papers on my desk, after working on compiling a writer's resume, a stack of inspirational 3 x 5s that Prudy has liberated from their normal storage area, and a piece of a silk and dried flower arrangement that Prudy brought in here from atop the kitchen counter. I will probably be spending some of tomorrow or the next day cleaning up, also. It's time to simplify the number of things that I'm attempting to do at the same time so some of this clutter can be put away. I can deal with clutter to a certain extent as I like to see what different projects I'm working on, but sometimes it gets out of hand and becomes overwhelming.
ReplyDeleteIf you'd like to send me a photo, I'm going to do a post on messy desks this week! Having a cat in the office/studio would be a sure way for things to get even messier. Simplify? What is this simplify??? Good luck on the simplifying!
DeleteI would add a picture of my desk currently but can't figure out how. Blogger tells me tag IMG isn't allowed but I don't even know if I am doing it correctly. Suffice to say, your desk is a neat version of mine! I'm even working on top of other things. It's not good; it's frustrating but I don't have space to put in-progress or just in-the-thinking-mode projects so they pile up too high on my desk.
ReplyDeleteGood luck on cleaning yours off and keeping it that way for more than 24 hours, : )
TImaree, I bought a wire basket just big enough to hold 8.5 x 11 inch paper (because I wasn't thinking). I then bought some pretty folders (and had to cut them down to fit the basket) and I started storing my projects in folders. All the paper, ideas, and what not. For anything that couldn't go in the basket, I put away. I have to say it's made a huge difference. The wire basket is maybe 8w x 11L x 6T inches. It's working well!
DeleteGood idea. I've saved a couple of large shoe boxes. I think I'll check to see how big they are!
DeleteYou will laugh! My working space right now is about 8 x 8 but I manage to clean the whole thing off every night believe it or not! You can see your color wheel up on the wall. See the photo on my Facebook.
ReplyDeleteCool, Janet! I can only wish I was so organized and I'm a believer that beautiful things often come from small spaces!
DeleteThat looks so familiar Laure, I usually end up with about 6 square inches of table to actually paint on!
ReplyDeleteLynne
If you'd like to send me a photo, I'm going to do a post on messy desks this week! Wow—6 inches! A woman after my own heart!
Deletefirstly, another very sweet blog-header Laura; you really do portray your art how I like to see it; you bring out the real charm in all you paint it seems. I used to spend quite some time with card-making and that does have it's drawbacks with the multiples of tangible items you might want to bring into a project. You'd step back from a large space which like you say gradually crowds in on your working-space. Anyone who has crafted in some form will know exactly where you're coming from ....
ReplyDeleteThanks, Carole! It does seem that some projects/crafts require far more "stuff" than others. My challenge comes in keeping it clear enough to be productive and not cluttered. It's a fine line!
DeleteWhat a mess is my work area. I have pallet, paper towels, spray bottle, wash containers, paint brushes, an old iron iron, light, gourd, vase with twigs, camera, fan... I could go on and on. This all on a space as you described. How do I do anything? A lot to keep me interested...
ReplyDeleteIf you'd like to send me a photo, I'm going to do a post on messy desks this week! There's definitely a need to keep interested and I suffer from the idea "that if I put this on my desk where I can see it, I won't forget about it!" Wrong.
DeleteIt just gets buried.
Always love seeing someone else's studio or work space..
ReplyDeleteThanks, Terry! If you'd like to send me a photo, I'm going to do a post on messy desks this week!
DeleteMy former sewing studio used to look much worse than your desk. But now in my new, much larger space, I have room to put things away. It's a good thing too, since the cat's litter box is in the bathroom off of it, I can't keep him out. This means that I have to put things away every night. Whenever I miss something, he either takes it and chews on it himself or leaves it where the dog can chew it up. This includes pins, scissors, etc, so I've gotten much better at making sure I've put everything away!
ReplyDeleteHa! My cats are not allowed in my studio unless I'm there to supervise. There are just too many paw-sized temptations for them to be allowed free range. However…they've still managed to relieve me of a water brush cap and two pans of paint. I've found one pan, still searching for the others…
DeleteLaure ... you're gonna hate me! I clean my desk up every day because I hate to come back to a junked up place to work. I want to just get at it! The painting that is. If I am working on something that I need to continue with the next day I leave it on the pull out part of the desk (where the keyboard used to sit when I was working as a transcriber). When that shelf is slid back everything looks neat and tidy. My husband's desk .... well, I just want to say that when he needs a clean work space he uses mine!
ReplyDeleteHate you? Nah! It's folks like you that give me hope that one day, I'll be the same way. Love the idea of putting things on the lower shelf. My studio desk doesn't have one, but even if it did…sigh. If you'd like to send me a photo, I'm going to do a post on messy (or not) desks this week!
DeleteLaure, I also have pile-itis and there is a fine line between having all the stuff I need out and suffocation. I also have Multiple Muse Disorder so my studio has drawing, painting, collage, calligraphy, embroidery, sewing.....see what I mean? The act of straightening for me does exactly what you explain, discovering forgotten ideas starts the process all over again. I'll send you a pic.
ReplyDeleteI did send a photo and few words---didn't get through I guess
ReplyDeleteLet's talk!