Stuff!

I have mentioned before that I have hijacked my kitchen table for my art. We have a dining room table where everyone has been eating, but I feel really bad about having a kitchen table that no one ever actually eats at. The real problem is that my studio is too small. I have it in the spare bedroom, and it's approximately 8x8 feet.

Since my studio is a business, I have a lot of "stuff" and fitting it into that room is very hard. Oh, I can do it, but then I'll be sitting there and say to myself "I'd like to do a watercolor" or "I need to make prints of a painting, and I need to photograph it" and then suddenly my studio turns into this (and I'm totally embarrassed):

Under the black cloth is another huge stack of various sizes of blank canvases, and to the left of the shelving unit, close to the window is another one.

I have shelves in the closet, and they are filled to the brim when I put everything away, which is why when I take ANYTHING out, I have to take EVERYTHING out.

Drawing desk, covered in prints, cards, magnets and in-progress work

Normally every spot on the wall is covered with drying canvases, but I've been working on other things lately, and photographing work, (hence the studio lights being out.) That pillow on the floor is actually for my feet while I work at the easel, because I rest on the wood and... OW!

All my shipping and packing supplies are actually in the basement, so this is just studio stuff.

This is impossible to work in. Even when everything is organized, there is simply no room! However, I was recently inspired to take a good look at some of the furniture around my house and see if I can't repurpose some of it in my studio. The thought of adding another piece of furniture in there is enough to make my head hurt, but if it worked and created more space for me to actually work IN my studio instead of it being a storage unit, that would be a wonderful thing!

I have been through all of my supplies, and the truth is that I use all of it. Not all the time, but eventually I circle back to it and use it. I recently gave away my good colored pencils (a very expensive tin) to a student of mine, thinking that I didn't use them, and sure enough a couple months later I needed them. It was very frustrating. So, I know I cannot whittle down my supplies. Instead, I need to get smart about them. I need to figure out a way to store and access them without it turning into a TLC hoarders show waiting to happen.

Also, I need to be able to see what I have. So much inspiration can come from simply looking at a box of supplies, say pastels, and suddenly having the urge to make something wonderful with them. But if you never see them and remember that they're there? It's an opportunity lost.

Along that same line, I have things that make me happy. Things that we artists collect because they nurture our artist soul. The only one that's out and visible is my owl on a moon, hanging from the ceiling. Oh, and my purple sequined curtains that I took from my daughter's room when she decided she had grown out of them (who grows out of purple and glitter, I ask you!?!) My other little bits of lovelies are MIA. They're there... somewhere... I think.

So, I'm in full on processing mode. I'm trying to figure out how to make this work. How can I reclaim my studio space as my working space? How can I make it inviting, instead of feeling like I need to get out of it as soon as possible?

I have the urge to cover every square inch with shelving, but I don't think that's the answer. I'm trying to make do with what I have on hand. So, cross your fingers for me! Hopefully I'll have a nice new update to share soon!