Clearing the clutter

An artful friend stayed home last night to clear the clutter in her studio. Another creative friend reserved a book from the library that addresses dealing with clutter. The three of us agree that we are more creative if our workspace is in order and we have a clear space on which to begin our next project.

Many Americans admit they have “too much stuff.” In fact, have you ever heard anyone say “I have just enough stuff”? The book my friend reserved is on Amazon’s list of Best Books of the Year for 2014. You may be familiar with it; the title is The Life-changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing by Marie Kondo.

It’s the same book about which my husband emailed to me this link: http://althouse.blogspot.com/2015/01/unbelievable-as-it-may-sound-you-only.html

As it is with many decisions, balance is what many of us are trying to achieve. How do we dedicate enough time and thought to avoid an accumulation of clutter without becoming overly occupied with this activity?

Prairie Smoke (Geum triflorum) leaves

Happy new year

Happy fresh, new year to you. This time of year and Labor Day are the two times when many people get inspired and consider making changes, improvements, or fresh starts.

The most inspiring material I’ve read in a while is the interview on the Daily Paintworks blog with Minneapolis painter and teacher Kat Corrigan. I think you’ll be inspired and uplifted by Kat’s candid, generous, disciplined, ebullient approach to being an artist—and to life itself.

Is it important for an artist not to have favorite works just as parents shouldn’t have favorite children? I don’t know the answer but I will admit that I’ve always liked this muted blue print of unknown leaves. The paper is the Sprinkle Gold Sumi-E-like paper made by Pia (a Paragon Product) that Liz from Wet Paint encouraged me to buy. The little gold specks are on the top surface of the paper. I’m now printing on my fourth roll of that paper!