Lately, I've been reading a lot of articles about how to overcome artist's block. There are plenty of things that can throw a stick in our spokes when we're riding along, making art- feeling like we're in a rut, rejections, a string of bad shows, unfinished works screaming at us from the workbench, to name a few. ****************************************************************************************************************** One that has been bugging me is clutter. ****************************************************************************************************************** I'm calling today's entry, "Dirty Little Secrets," because I'm a bit ashamed of the clutter I've amassed in my studio. It's a space I share with my pet rats, and sometimes their toys, food, and furniture get in the way. Things get set in places where they don't belong when I'm rushing to unpack after a big event. Things that don't even belong in the studio migrate there, simply because it has so much empty floorspace. Sometimes, I work around the mess, just because I need to get work done, and my inspiration is so great that the chaos barely a blip on my radar. Other times, I don't even want to look at it, and I avoid even going into my work area. When energy is already low, it creates an impossible obstacle, and I even forget what it is that's bothering me and making me wince when I think about going into my studio. ****************************************************************************************************************** Reading all these articles has jogged my memory, however, even if they don't directly address clutter. Another artist friend, Kate Paul, told me once that when she was having a hard time getting started, she would begin by tidying her work area. Despite not being in the mood to work, just getting into her studio got her energy going, and after she'd spent some time making her work area neat again, she found that she'd actually feel motivated to paint. There's something (perhaps a twinkle of mischief?) about having a clean slate that makes us want to make messes again. ****************************************************************************************************************** It's time for me to go set the stage for new work!
Dirty Little Secrets
Lately, I've been reading a lot of articles about how to overcome artist's block. There are plenty of things that can throw a stick in our spokes when we're riding along, making art- feeling like we're in a rut, rejections, a string of bad shows, unfinished works screaming at us from the workbench, to name a few. ****************************************************************************************************************** One that has been bugging me is clutter. ****************************************************************************************************************** I'm calling today's entry, "Dirty Little Secrets," because I'm a bit ashamed of the clutter I've amassed in my studio. It's a space I share with my pet rats, and sometimes their toys, food, and furniture get in the way. Things get set in places where they don't belong when I'm rushing to unpack after a big event. Things that don't even belong in the studio migrate there, simply because it has so much empty floorspace. Sometimes, I work around the mess, just because I need to get work done, and my inspiration is so great that the chaos barely a blip on my radar. Other times, I don't even want to look at it, and I avoid even going into my work area. When energy is already low, it creates an impossible obstacle, and I even forget what it is that's bothering me and making me wince when I think about going into my studio. ****************************************************************************************************************** Reading all these articles has jogged my memory, however, even if they don't directly address clutter. Another artist friend, Kate Paul, told me once that when she was having a hard time getting started, she would begin by tidying her work area. Despite not being in the mood to work, just getting into her studio got her energy going, and after she'd spent some time making her work area neat again, she found that she'd actually feel motivated to paint. There's something (perhaps a twinkle of mischief?) about having a clean slate that makes us want to make messes again. ****************************************************************************************************************** It's time for me to go set the stage for new work!
