I’m an artist and find I can never get in the right mindset without making an utter mess. I think there’s a real connection with letting go and submitting to the moment. I also beat myself up I’m organizationally challenged in my domestic sphere. Equal parts FYI and SOS 😅
My husband use to say my computer desk is cluttered but then he set up a spare room as an office and that is way more cluttered then my desk, at least I can find stuff he cannot.
I appreciate how you frame this. Clutter is happening and there is no one cure. Gulp. Lets figure out what we really need and not hand out the same prescription with a promise these labels or clear bins will solve all of lifes woes. Also love the silver tubing snail!!! That needs to be displayed 💜
After cleaning out my parent's home of 50 years that was FILLED with clutter, I am going room by room to get rid of anything that I don't love or use.
It took us kids months to get their stuff resolved and cleaned up.
I fell off track this summer, but am halfway through and still determined.
The stuff I was "saving in case I needed it" took up most of the piles.
Messy bits of projects in process here and there don't bother me as much as stored piles of stuff that no one needs or wants.
Maybe that's a different kind of clutter than you are discussing here, but it also screams at you to deal with it. Maybe even louder than the piles in plain sight!
I think especially for artists our relationship with mess is such a tricky double-edged sword. For example, whenever I go into my friend's art studios, I just adore the mess - the opened paint tubes, hardened brushes, overflowing bin, empty wine glasses. But they, like me, apologise for the mess whenever someone enters their space. It's easy to romanticise the clutter when it's not ours, but easy to feel self conscious about it when it is. I'm trying to reach some sort of a balance now where I at least tidy up the coffee cups and clean the paint brushes, but allowing some grace to be an art slob for the most part has given me a lot of freedom. Love this!
Such a great post! I feel we’ve been taught to fear mess/clutter in recent years. I love how you reframe it as a signal. Sometimes life is cluttered , others times not. It’s part of life. X
Life with a toddler 🟰 clutter, full stop. But you’re exactly right - seeing the clutter as a byproduct of living AND being able to see when it’s because a part of the home lacks flow or a certain solution are both valuable. I find I am more at peace with clutter as a byproduct of living vs. when I know there is a mess because the right solution for the flow isn’t in place (e.g. there’s a pile of shoes that is wonky but manageable that lives under the entryway bench (just life. It’ll never be totally clean) vs I keep tripping over a pile of shoes because there is no home for shoes (aggravating!))
I’m an artist and find I can never get in the right mindset without making an utter mess. I think there’s a real connection with letting go and submitting to the moment. I also beat myself up I’m organizationally challenged in my domestic sphere. Equal parts FYI and SOS 😅
YES JESSIE ❤️
My husband use to say my computer desk is cluttered but then he set up a spare room as an office and that is way more cluttered then my desk, at least I can find stuff he cannot.
Sounds like Joe and me
I appreciate how you frame this. Clutter is happening and there is no one cure. Gulp. Lets figure out what we really need and not hand out the same prescription with a promise these labels or clear bins will solve all of lifes woes. Also love the silver tubing snail!!! That needs to be displayed 💜
Total GULP! The snails name is Sally ❤️
After cleaning out my parent's home of 50 years that was FILLED with clutter, I am going room by room to get rid of anything that I don't love or use.
It took us kids months to get their stuff resolved and cleaned up.
I fell off track this summer, but am halfway through and still determined.
The stuff I was "saving in case I needed it" took up most of the piles.
Messy bits of projects in process here and there don't bother me as much as stored piles of stuff that no one needs or wants.
Maybe that's a different kind of clutter than you are discussing here, but it also screams at you to deal with it. Maybe even louder than the piles in plain sight!
I think especially for artists our relationship with mess is such a tricky double-edged sword. For example, whenever I go into my friend's art studios, I just adore the mess - the opened paint tubes, hardened brushes, overflowing bin, empty wine glasses. But they, like me, apologise for the mess whenever someone enters their space. It's easy to romanticise the clutter when it's not ours, but easy to feel self conscious about it when it is. I'm trying to reach some sort of a balance now where I at least tidy up the coffee cups and clean the paint brushes, but allowing some grace to be an art slob for the most part has given me a lot of freedom. Love this!
Such a great post! I feel we’ve been taught to fear mess/clutter in recent years. I love how you reframe it as a signal. Sometimes life is cluttered , others times not. It’s part of life. X
Life with a toddler 🟰 clutter, full stop. But you’re exactly right - seeing the clutter as a byproduct of living AND being able to see when it’s because a part of the home lacks flow or a certain solution are both valuable. I find I am more at peace with clutter as a byproduct of living vs. when I know there is a mess because the right solution for the flow isn’t in place (e.g. there’s a pile of shoes that is wonky but manageable that lives under the entryway bench (just life. It’ll never be totally clean) vs I keep tripping over a pile of shoes because there is no home for shoes (aggravating!))