My studio has been in utter chaos since last October. In October I dismantle much of my art room to take samples etcetera to Art Camp for Women. This year when I got home I dumped everything on my table, did my laundry, and ran off to JournalFest. When I got home I dumped everything on my table, did my laundry, cleared a square foot of space on the table and tried to work around the mess.
All surfaces buried in chaos!
When I read that Julie Fei-Fan Balzer was going to do an Organization Week in January – I gave a huge sigh of relief – I love to organize but this time I needed some motivation.
Backing up for a Running Start
New set of shelves in place
In the last week of December I backed up for a running start on the Organization Week. I took two days to clean up and paint some old shelves we saved from our kitchen re-model, and took another two days to dry and hang them up. Then I did a kind of clear-off-the-table sort of organizing, knowing all the time that I needed to really re-think the whole set up of the room.
Without knowing it I also did the majority of Day 1 of Organization Week assignment during my jump start – Purging.
The Old Laptop gets a new use
Studio Classroom
Since I had a head start I mostly used
Day 1 to clean out my old laptop and get it set up in the studio. I take a lot of video art classes online and being able to watch from the painting end or the cutting side of the table makes a big difference. I do my writing and other computer work upstairs in my office, this computer is strictly for watching video classes and reading tutorials.
Projects in Progress - Labeled in Clear, Upcycled Salad Containers
Day 2 – How your Brain Works really helped me out!
1. Clearly labeling containers not only helps you find things – it also reminds you (me) what you are working on!
2. Keep your most-used items near where you work and easily accessible. I have some really nice and expensive color options and until Day 2 they were so hard to get to that I didn’t bother to use them OR once I got them out I didn’t put them away.
3. Like with like. Paints together and near where you paint. Sewing tools, fabric and thread near the sewing machine. Pens and mark making tools together and easy to get to. Rubber stamps in one flat drawer. Large binder for clear stamps. Large stencils in one flat drawer. Large binder for small stencils and masks.
Like-with-Like. Paints, spray wash, alcohol ink
As I am reorganizing there are areas that used to be organized that are now under attack and more disorganized than ever. Julie warned us that it would get worse before it got better. I must say it is not worse, but it still has to get better.
Recycled/Upcycled Salsa Jar
Your supplies should be easy to see and easy to put away.
I have long held to the premise that materials kept on shelves need to be one deep. And I have been using recycled clear salad bins (see above) and recycled plastic salsa containers all along. So for Day 3 my job is to label and put things where I can get to them easily. I ran out of labels for the salsa jars, but will work on that some more.
My business partner is Lorri Flint and she was one of the guest bloggers today on Julie’s blog so I had a heads up and was the tester for the tutorial she posted over at the Art Camp blog. So if you look at the picture of my paints, you might be able to see that I used her box instructions to make the back layer of paints higher so they can be seen and reached behind the shorter alcohol inks etc.
Pens together and handy to use and put away - Labeling continues
Work Surface Essentials
AT YOUR FINGERTIPS
The heart of your studio: Your work surface. Julie say your desk, but I have a large table. I have the top of a conference table laid across 4 sets of map drawers. As I said earlier I have an office upstairs for phone and computer work.
She says to have your top ten must haves within reach when you are working. This is my lazy susan that sits in the center of the table. I must admit I posed the paper towels. They never stay there although that is where they are supposed to be.
Water container, lazy susan and scrap trash container live on my tabletop
I have a basket of rags that sits at the open end of the table and one or two are usually scattered on the tabletop. I also have a scrap trash container and a water container that are always within reach when I’m working.
Upcycled spice racks become ink racks
At the closed end of the table I have my ink rack. I found these racks at a thrift store and by backing them with some heavy paper they became the perfect storage for my ink, re-inkers and a couple of acrylic blocks for my clear stamps. My stamps live in the top flat map drawer directly below my worktable. I am not showing that drawer until I get the foamcore boxes from Lorri Flint’s tutorial made. I have sets of plastic drawers holding my collage ephemera that sit behind my table, but I generally pull the drawer clear out and set it near where I’m working when I am ready to collage.
I stand at my table or sit on a tall stool so my pens, paints, inks and brushes are now right behind me.
Just having my table cleared and in working order is a great relief and an incentive to create. And I can see that I still need days 5, 6, and 7. My small stencils and masks and my clear rubber stamps are well organized but they live across the room from where I work. At least half of my map drawers are messy and disorganized inside. I have dis-organized several areas while doing this organizing week so far, so those areas will need to be addressed as well.
Tomorrow I will leave for a couple of days so I will finish Organization Week on my own next week and post about the last couple of days then. Thanks for reading.
