Mixed Media Morsels & more

Okay, full disclosure here… my art room – probably just like yours – turns into a hot mess at times. As creative individuals, we have, and use, a lot of stuff! This can be both a blessing and a curse. Creating art, using purchased items, as well as repurposing junk pieces, can be very rewarding. But if all the ‘stuff and things’ begin to pile up around us too much, we can start to feel very claustrophobic and that can literally kill creativity. I know that feeling all too well – but it doesn’t have to be that way. 

Organizing my supplies is the easiest way for me to keep track of everything. As you can see in the photo above, I do have a lot of things starting to pile up. Okay, they’re way past “starting” to pile up, LOL, but since I have a place for everything to go, it’s a pretty quick cleanup process. (Unless I find something interesting in the piles and sit down and start creating with it, LOL!) The simplest solution for me, is to use lots of Sterilite plastic drawer units that can be purchased easily, and a few at a time, if I don’t want to spend too much in one shopping trip. They can also easily be labeled, so that I know which supplies are in each drawer.

These particular drawers are directly to my left when I’m sitting at my work table. I keep some scraps in the top drawer, and the other three are holding projects that I’m currently working on. I can take everything out of a particular drawer to work on a project, and then when it’s time to clean up, it all goes back into its own drawer. If necessary, I will label the drawers with a sticky note instead of a more permanent label, since the things in these drawers change all the time.

Another very handy item I’ve been using since last year is a metal file organizer. Am I using it for files? Nope! This organizer sits directly to the right of my work table and very nicely holds the bigger items that I use on a regular basis. Honestly, I’m not sure how I managed so long without it!

It’s very frustrating to sit down to create and not be able to find something I need, and then have to spend all my creating time looking for that thing! So, last year, I made a decision to organize my supplies better and to be more consistent with putting things away when I’m finished using them. I am doing much better, but there are still times when I get really busy, and when that happens, I get a little behind in my cleanup duties. However, knowing that everything has a place to go, makes all the difference in the world, and cleaning up the mess is so much less stressful! And less stress equals having more fun creating.

It’s definitely a great feeling to come into my art room to create when it’s all cleaned up and everything (well, maybe not everything…) is in its proper place. 

I want everyone to know that you’re not alone in the mess we all make, with all this stuff we collect to use in our creative lives. Organizing it can be a bit daunting, but it can be done, by tackling small areas/piles at a time, instead of looking at the room/area as a whole, and feeling completely overwhelmed. Keep a positive attitude and believe me when I tell you that as each area/pile gets organized, you will be motivated to get another one done, then another, and so on. Once the organizing process is finished, you’re all set for fun times creating, without the feeling of dread that comes along when stuff piles up around you, as it will do.

I have learned that it is so much easier to create when I know where to find and replace all of my supplies. My hope is that this post helps you to get yours organized too, so you will feel your creative mojo returning.

Thanks for stopping by,
Cat