The Studio: A Love/Hate Relationship

I am fortunate enough to have enough space to convert one of the bedrooms to a working studio. It's an artist's dream! This is the love part. 

This is the hate part:

I am a very messy artist. I jump from project to project, leaving destruction in my wake. No matter how many times I "clean up" in here, within 10 minutes, it looks like this again. I'm like a gaggle of unsupervised toddlers in toy store. As a result, most of what I start rarely gets finished.

Recently, life has changed dramatically for me. There may come a point when I am no longer as fortunate as I have been, and looking at this room only contributes to the clutter in my mind. The stress has been overwhelming at times. I have been trying to line up my ducks, but they are disobedient little fuckers, and refuse to snap to. I am forced to start shooting them.

Duck #1: Clear out the studio. This has been my goal all along, but it needs to move faster. I have given myself until 5pm today (it is 12:33pm EST right now) to make it happen.

Challenge accepted.

Back to Blogging: So Much for the 1 Year Challenge

the studio, 2012

4/2012: the challenge: to only use the materials found in my little back bedroom studio to create art for 1 year. The rules: (1) don't buy any new materials; (2) blog the heck out of it.

6/2013: the result? one deleted blog, a roomful of frustrating odds and ends, and several small purchases from the craft store.

Was this attempt a failure? Yes and no. I created plenty of interesting art (some of which is for sale on www.watercoloredwindows.etsy.com). I also created plenty of crap (most of which is dismantled or can be found in the trash). I have decided to try this challenge again, but with a slight change to the rules. (1) Limit the amount of new materials purchased. I found out very quickly that hot glue and staples are very necessary when attaching stuff to other stuff. (2) Blog the heck out of it. I simply didn't blog. What's the point of having a blog, if one does not blog?

the studio, 2013

I'm also eliminating the time frame. That's where the pressure came in, the calendar pages kept turning, and it felt as though I was getting nowhere fast. In reality, I was able to come up with some interesting ways to upcycle or repurpose (you know, the hip new way of saying "reuse") all kinds of stuff. Old jeans and dishtowels make interesting canvases, and wire hangers are more than just a cliche. 

The journey begins.......again.....