Posted on 10 Comments

It’s time.

6725767501_96cf7bca80-flickr

I’ve been staring at this mess for a few months now, periodically shoving aside enough things to make a work space, but never actually putting anything away. The only thing that stresses me out more than looking at that mess is the thought of cleaning it up. Which is why it stays there, and I mostly choose to spend my time in some other room.

Well, no more.

Usually when I return from the clayathon, I dump my supplies in a corner of the dining room, and don’t touch them for another six months or more.  The clayathon nearly always satisfies my polymer-related urges almost to the point of burn-out.  This time, though, it has rejuvenated me more than anything else, and I find myself feeling the urge to crank out more. More. MORE!

This, of course, would be easier to accomplish if my workspace didn’t look like a bomb went off in the middle of it.  It’s a pretty bomb of fabric, ribbons, thread, yarn, raw polymer, and recently-finished claythings, but a bomb nonetheless.

So yesterday I took a long hard look at the table, and decided that I need to be brutally honest with myself.  The first realization?  I’m not going to finish those quilts for the boys any time soon.  I’ve wanted to do it for months now, but I haven’t wanted it enough to take action.  So I admitted the fact to myself, and that allowed me to put away the sewing machine, the ironing board, the half-finished quilts, two tubs of sewing supplies, and miscellaneous fabrics and trims that were laying around.

What a relief that was.

It’s still pretty messy, as you can see above, but let me assure you it was much worse yesterday before the sewing stuff was retired.

This gives me new energy for tackling the rest of that mess.  I hope to get it done today or tomorrow at the latest, and then I can move forward with some fun plans, including a new videocast and teaching my son how to make clay-covered pens.  I may even combine the two…  stay tuned!

So, how does your workspace look these days?  Dealing with a mess, too?  Or are you one of those neat and tidy types?  And if you are a neat and tidy type, please tell me – what is that like?  Is it as blissful as it sounds?

LET’S KEEP IN TOUCH!

Sign up for occasional Polka Dot Cottage news and get a coupon for 10% off your next order!

Don't worry, we won't bother you more than once or twice a month!

Posted on 10 Comments

10 thoughts on “It’s time.

  1. Not a neat and tidy type – I don’t even think I qualify as an aspiring one, yet. My untidiness or downright messy-ness and disorganization has been a major issue my whole life.

    That said, I have been improving bit by bit over the last few years and this years gift to myself was to start with the office / studio space COMPLETELY cleaned up and organized. The organization is ongoing but I did get the whole physical bit cleaned and organized.

    The other part, the electronic, paperwork and scheduling bit has some (lots) of work to go but it is progressing.

    And I used to think: oh I can work in this (and I can ignore messes) and it’s fine. And I’d laugh when people would show me studies about how neatness improves productivity or creativity or what not. I’m not so sure now – I’ve had a super productive and creative month and I haven’t been this happy to be in my studio space in YEARS. And the only change has been it’s neater and more organized.

    1. I’ve noticed your tweets on the subject 🙂 I think it’s great you’ve managed to organize your physical space so well. I am completely the opposite. My electronic life is ultra-organized. I may just have the prettiest hard drive on the planet. That’s something, I guess 🙂

      1. It is something. My electronic life is a LITTLE more organized than my physical one.

        And I *am* lucky – I can fit all of my crafting stuff into it’s very own room. Most of it is in clear boxes where I can see it – that helps for me – or in labeled boxes.

        Cleaning up became a financial necessity since I now have students or customers over on occasion and the CHAOS (can’t have anyone over syndrome) was hitting my pocketbook in a big way.

  2. Ah, the hazards of having multiple crafting interests. I have been trying to work out how to make my craft room into a functional space for all of my interests for a while now.

    I’ve read something interesting about different personality types and organizational preferences that go along with them. I took a test, and the results seemed very accurate to me (sorry, I can’t remember where it was, although I just spent the last 15 minutes trying to find it). It made me feel better – it turns out I have to have things laid out in front of me in order to keep them active in my brain. Which makes sense, but it also means I need a major upgrade to my craft room to be able to lay out all of my supplies in a visually appealing way!

    Perhaps looking into a way of organizing that fits your personality type might be useful.

    1. That makes sense to me, too. I know that I am so much less likely to finish a project when it is buried somewhere out of sight. And, yes! I daydream about an upgrade to my craft room, too. At the moment, I use the dining room, which means I am always having to put away my projects, finish them quickly, or live with a mess. Guess which option I usually choose 🙂 I daydream about a spacious room with plentiful natural light, and stations for each of my favorite media. Maybe someday!

  3. I am a slob and proud of it! Helps me continue my creativity. I did, however, make two boxes and labeled the outside: one for UFO’s and one for all my christmas stocking supplies. That helped a ton.

    1. I do that too 🙂 I’ve started labeling them with more information now, since they seem to be collecting in the basement! Now I write more specifics about the materials inside, and what date I stashed them. It has helped me find a thing or two!

  4. Definitely untidy but with aspirations! I don’t have a craft room, but squeeze bits into our cupboards/wardrobes by…………..pushing till they do not fall out! Bet that makes you feel better!
    Good luck with your tidying.

    1. Why, yes it does 🙂 I am in the same boat. I don’t have a craft room, either, so my supplies spill out of nooks and crannies, and my work table is actually the dining room table. I can count on one hand the number of times we’ve actually dined in the dining room in the last five or six years…

  5. My husband built me a nice craft table/storage unit and it is COVERED with everything from stamping supplies to mis-matched socks. Basically, it’s a complete mess. I always feel so much better when I’ve cleaned it off, but do so is usually too daunting and I just walk away.

Leave a comment!

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.