Justified Clutter vs. Nesting

This is part of the studio area Matthew and I share.  To work is to make clutter.  You will also notice one of small furry studio assistants.  She cares for the paintbrushes mostly.  Our other assistant cares for paper...but he was napping during this photo.


The clutter is caused by several works going on at once...usually a clean studio area is what we aim for, but once we begin getting more involved with works, all matters of clearing the areas are forgotten.  We gather more references, more materials, and putting it all away at the end of a work session would only be giving us more work for the next day.  To have to go about gathering everything all over again would be an obstacle to creating.  I try to minimize that as much as possible - there are more than enough obstacles to creating on any given day whether imagined or concrete for most artists.  We do what we must in order to ensure that we show up.  That freedom to just sit down and begin working is WONDERFUL.


I think back to a few professors in college that were exceptionally organized and tidy.  The work spaces were always meticulously clean.  I admired their expectations in the communal spaces so that we all provided eachother with a clean work environment that limited accidental tragedies of ruin.  One professor took cleanliness and lack of clutter to an extreme.  The apartment she lived in was void of the typical "home" environment.  No comforts of furniture outside of a solid wood dining table and four chairs.  Decor consisted of two houseplants in a window, and a rug by the entry door.  As shocking as it was to my system to see an uninterupted sea of beige carpeting, I found it refreshing.  The minimalism seemed to allow more room for thinking, for speaking, for focusing, for being.  I loved her home.


Matthew and I went through a phase of that before we left for Portland.  We tried to declutter our home as much as possible.  We donated, we threw out, and we prioritized our "stuff".  We have now lived in Oregon for over a year and it was only recently that we adopted some real furniture - two plush chairs that I think our cats love even more than we do. 


Notice that I said Matthew and I went through a "phase" of that in our home...it seems that it's now getting to the point of the great decluttering once again.  We both realize that we do need to do some sorting and organizing.  Some studio clutter is just what happens as a result of work.  It's a given and it is a means to an end.  Yet, it is that time of year for "nesting" type of activities since we are getting ready for a winter's worth of spending more time inside our homes...I'm feeling it coming on strong while I wait for the gesso on the canvas to dry.  You'll know where I'll be if you need me.  Happy nesting to all of you who are feeling the same way!