Welcome to Art Supply Organization Week! Today we are taking the first step and throwing things away. Eeek!
Tiny Apartment Big Art Studio
I’m so excited that Art Supply Organization Week is finally here! I’ve been planning to do this for months and months, but never made the time to actually sit down and get it all written out.
I have always said that my husband and I live in a tiny apartment with a big art studio. And it’s true. We live in a two-bedroom apartment and my sweet husband turned over the master bedroom to me and so we sleep in a tiny little room that has just enough space for a bed and a dresser. Here’s a quick peek at my studio:
PS: That’s a mirrored closet at the back of the room, which makes it look like it goes on forever!
As you can see, I have a working studio. It’s not a pretty Pottery Barn catalog studio. But I can find absolutely anything I’m looking for in under twenty seconds. Because what my studio lacks in beauty it makes up for in functionality. Throughout this week we (me and some awesome bloggers) are going to share the methods that work for us. But always, you must remember that organization starts in your brain. So nobody else’s methods are going to work for you unless you both have the same brain.
I’m lucky enough to have a dedicated room for art making, but if you don’t, don’t fret. These organizational tips will still work for you!
Ready to get started?
Let’s do it!
Backstory: I Hate Throwing Things Away
I ran a theatre company here in New York City for eight years. After a few years my Managing Director banned me from attending load-out (the day we remove the set, costumes, and props from the theatre). Before being banned I would run around the theatre insisting that we save every prop, costume, stick of wood, half gallon of paint, etc. After all, we had paid good money for all of it, right? Wrong. She sat me down and explained that the price it would cost to store that lumber or that prop over time was more than the item cost. And that we would be best served by throwing it away now and buying a new one if we needed to down the road. And while I saw the numbers and intellectually understood, I just couldn’t get over that emotional feeling that we shouldn’t throw away things we paid money for. Thusly, I was banned.
I face a similar struggle with all this “stuff” in my studio. I paid for it. I should absolutely not throw it away. And yet, I know that part of having a working studio, is regularly purging supplies. So I had to find a solution to my moral dilemma before my studio became a storage room.
Solution: A Cardboard Box
In my studio there is a large cardboard box that lives on the floor. When it is full it is replaced by a new cardboard box. This is my donation box. Sometimes I put a notice on my blog that it is free to anyone who wants to pick it up. Sometimes I give it to a crafty friend. Either way it makes me happy to know that those supplies are going to a good home rather than a landfill.
Purging your supplies…
- Creates space for new supplies!
- Creates space for actually making art.
- Alleviates the guilt of not having used it.
- Allows you to make better art. (Use supplies you love and you’ll always love what you make.)
- Leaves room for you to grow and change in your art making.
- Helps you hone in on the supplies you love.
- Is a version of keeping inventory. By going through your stash and deciding what to keep and what to throw, you are essentially reviewing what you have.
- Helps you to be organized.
Personally, I do a major purge once a year. I do mini purges every 3-4 months. And I have been much more productive since beginning these purges.
Your Art Supply Organization Assignment
Go ahead and gather a couple of trash bags and a couple of empty cardboard boxes. Here’s how I suggest you break them down:
- The trash bags are for trash.
- One cardboard box is for donations.
- One cardboard box is for finished artwork.
- One cardboard box is for projects-in-progress (i.e. unfinished artwork)
- The remaining boxes are for stuff you’re keeping and need to put away. Or you can just make piles. That’s what I do.
And now this is the hard part: sort through everything in your crafty space. E-V-E-R-Y-T-H-I-N-G.
Art Supply Purging Tips
Some tips to help you in this endeavor:
- I like to start with the surfaces. Once my desk and all the counters are clear I head into the drawers and shelves.
- If you can’t stand the idea of donating some supplies because they were so expensive (like a die cut machine), create a box for sale items. But don’t let it clutter your studio. You have to actually have a plan for selling it. Otherwise, donate it to a good cause and take the tax write off.
- Be ruthless. Forget about “someday.” Live in the now and get it out of your space.
- If you have a large category of stuff you no longer use — for example, suppose you used to do a ton of beading, but you no longer do it anymore — box that stuff up, label it, put today’s date on it, and stick it under your bed, in your basement, in your attic. If you haven’t gone looking for it in a year or two, it’s probably time to donate or sell it. In the meantime, it’s out of your space.
- It will look much, much worse before it looks better. And half-way through you will wonder why you started this stupid organization project?! But trust me. Keep going.
- Don’t think too hard. Follow your instincts when it comes to putting stuff in the trash, in the donate pile, and for keeping. When in doubt, put it in donations. You can always fish it out tomorrow or the next day when we start to put everything away.
- Being organized = being more productive. And like those Visa commercials say, that’s priceless!
If you’re not ready for a full on studio purge, why not try a desk purge? Or purging one really messy area? I promise that it will take less time and be more satisfying than you think.
Tomorrow we will begin the big picture planning for a brand new organized space!
Thanks for stopping by!
P.S. All of these “Organization Week” posts will be available by clicking HERE.
P.P.S. If you’d like to see the blog tour of my studio I wrote in 2010, you can check it out here:
I joined a garage sell (as one of the sellers) – first time for me!
It’s in 4 day and only yesterday I started to sort my stuff..
I could easily understand what you talked about – “I paid for it”…
Anyway – It’s good I read your post now – hope it will be easier to continue sorting my stuff these next coming days 🙂
Thanks for sharing!!
Just in time for me! I have my own room, too, but it’s a mess, and I haven’t done anything in months, because of that. Definitely starting today!!
I have been on a major purge because I don’t have a dedicated craft space. Just like you, it breaks my heart to throw things away so I donate what isn’t working. My goal is one big tote per week and I am ahead of my goal so far.
If you need some good places for donating, consider elementary schools, head start programs, senior centers, shelters for battered women and homeless shelters. I like knowing that my supplies are going to good use.
Haha, it will look much worse before it looks better. Don’t I know that! And sometimes, the better doesn’t come because I get derailed and starting using something from the give-away-pile…
Will follow the series with interest!
My OH knows now to just stay out of the way when I start a purge of any kind. My supplies or just the house. He always walks in when it looks a hundred times worse and I have to keep telling him “it had to get worse before it got better”. This post makes perfect sense and as someone who has had to downsize from having a whole huge craft space for a few months to being back in the corner of the living room with one desk and one shelving unit – it’s going to come in so helpful. Dating things is a brilliant idea!
This is sooo awesome!
I’m glad Organization Week is finally here, I so need this! Had a head start yesterday, blogged about it here:
http://www.cynfulcreationscanada.blogspot.com/2012/01/organization-week.html
Can’t wait to see what you have planned for us this week, Julie, thanks for doing this!
Perfect day to get started, rainy outside AND car in shop so I can’t go anywhere !
I hadn’t realized you were doing this. I started working on the purge in my studio a couple of weeks ago. Because of my life as a single mom and lack of adequate working time to devote, it’s a slow process. I’m making piles into categories of all the stuff out on all the tables and sitting in boxes piled around my studio. This will give me an idea of how much of a certain type of item I have so I will know how much permanent space I will need. Reading your stuff is an encouragement to me! Let us purge on!
Oh, and I LOVE the idea of KEEPING a dedicated give away box in the room at all times!
May I suggest if you want to donate supplies, you donate them to your local schools? Julie, I can suggest some NYC schools that would love having craft supplies donated.
Just in time…when I purge I donate my supplies to a couple different place. I donate to a high school for students in Family & Consumer Science classes & Art classes. Also to programs that focus on impoversihed and at-risk girls. I don’t feel quilty at all because I know that it will be well loved and used.
Working studio – that is what I meant to write in my thingy!! Yup does not have to be pretty. I can find stuff in seconds too – I should time it. Although my desk top is more cluttered than yours. I do have to do a purge this week. We are doing kitchen renovations and some stuff made it up to my room because “we paid good money for it!” Guilty as charged. You could do a whole blog post on that but I do give it away so -makes it easier to get rid of.
Perfect time to reorganize!
i’m halfway through my first assignment, by accident (i’m @mypinkmexicoMD) but i find it immensely helpful to follow a plan–i totally identify with holding onto something just because you paid for it, i don’t do this but my mother does, she could be on hoarders and i’m not even joking
excellent…i too am a big fan of the function over beauty, here & now creative space. purging & sharing to simplify is best! 🙂
So simple and so perfect!
super post I love your studio room that works for you & you can work in. you never fail to inspire me… off to purge a bit which is so hard for me
This is so timely for me. I’m redoing my room and have been at it for more than a week. I like your comment that it gets worse before it get better and why did I start this project. Oh yeah, I relate to that! I keep telling myself I’ll be glad once it is finished. Thanks for all the tips.
Julie, you are a life saver! I kind of forgot this was organization week, but it could not be more perfect. I have been in a huge funk because my space has gotten out of control. I hate when that happens. It has caused me to be in a creative paralysis. My husband who is equally as dear as yours it sounds, is becoming concerned because he knows how important it is for me to have my creative time. I love how you have things set up functionally and not “pretty”. My room is functional and otherwise kind of boring. Thanks for the inspiration and your in depth studio tour — not sure how I missed that unless it was before I “found” you.
Great post!
I’m SO looking for a comfortable chair….. Yours look just right. May I ask what brand/model they are??
Thanks!
Im sorry to say I have no idea. I bought it from Staples many years ago.
Thank you so much! I am copying down and putting your organization tips into practice. I am so guilty as charged of have a studio that is becoming merely a storage room. You empathize with my plight…I paid good money for all my stuff and it is so hard to part with it, and, of course, I have plans for using it all…someday. Well, never mind “someday”, today I want to work on a studio space where I can actually create. Thank you again for laying it all out so well.
I called up your blog today with savoring anticipation due to Organization Week! My New Year’s Intention (not resolution…) is to make a dedicated creative space for myself. I’ve been purging the garage and took a bunch of stuff to Goodwill and “traded it” for a work table. Now, to pull out all the supplies I have stashed around, set up shop and organize with you and your readers! Hooray! Thank you!!
Hi Julie
Thanks for this encouraging blog !
I am just SO the girl who hates to throw away what I have paid good money for ! I used to quilt & have a whole cupboard still full of fabric – but did actually give away two big bags of fat quarters & larger scraps for applique. And you know what – the world didn’t end – I didn’t have heart palpations & I hope I won’t even miss it !! Now I need to tackle everything else I have stashed away with this spirit too ! Thanks for your inspiring thoughts today !
Love the ideas from today, I’m going into my studio right now! Thanks for letting me participate this week! I’m excited to see the rest of it!
Fabulous ideas and my DH says THANK YOU!!!!
I read this and thought, “ya right. I’m not doing this.” And something just possessed me and I have gotten rid of our computer cabinet and pulled my art table out. Now I have to find a better table for my crafting. In the mean time I am sorting through all the junk that covered and hid on, around, and under my table. Too funny.
Thanks so much for sharing your mad organizing skills with us! I’m getting lots of good ideas. And, boy, do I need to purge my fabric stash…that alone could take all month 😛
If I take Nat’s today jumpstart and your advices, I think I have no excuse and might start reorganized my room.
Thank you for the ideas and tips.
This came just at the right time. I am moving my card making “stuff” out of my sewing room. Trying to throw away all those items I’ve kept for years, hoping to use them someday. I think this blog will definitely help me to know where all of those extra boxes of sewing/card making items need to go.
I used to review craft stuff and had lots of free stuff that I never used. I donated it to a local craft center that resells and the proceeds benefit a senior living program in my community. Much easier for me to give it away when I know it is going to a good cause
Love your ideas… I am relocating this year to a whole other state so … I will definitely need to Purge… yucky!
Great reminder “…it will look much worse before it looks better.”
I have another bag/box for ‘re-purposing’. I have nieces and nephews who love art supplies. I don’t feel guilty about giving them something I bought and am not using AND they think I’m the greatest aunt.
I probably should have taken some before photos…but I can have some progress photos.
I just began my reorganization project last week..and came to the conclusion yesterday that I’ll have to get rid of at least half my fabric stash. I’m quaking about it but it’s got to be done. And getting my craftroom together is not going to be a quick process. Like your setup – and intrigued by all your metal drawers. I had been thinking of using something like that – where did you get them?
The Container Store. They have a big sale twice a year!
I’m working on my space this month too, and while I realize I’m pinning all these photos of pretty, uncluttered art studios to my Pinterest board http://pinterest.com/vintagepix/art-studio-ideas/ I realize that your studio space is what I should aim for – everything put where I and find it (and let go of the stuff I haven’t used in ages) 😀
I know you are speaking directly to me but I’m still not listening- I’m considering tho….. I must say in my defense that I still can find everything in short order.
Great post! And very timely – I’m going to be moving this summer and I’m determined to dramatically reduce the amount of “stuff” I’ve accumulated, but I’m really having trouble letting go of things! I’ll be putting your ideas to use for sure.
love all your ideas and the tour of your studio! you know what you’re doing when it comes to organizing so I think it’s fantastic that you are taking the time to share with us. I’m impressed how you used every inch of space in that room!
I forgot to add that another great place to donate is to the Girl Scouts! I’m a volunteer with them and I know there are many new troops every year that don’t have any supplies and the girls would love it all.
Wow. I’m glad I came across this post. It just so happens I am doing a purge of my studio. Talk about it turning into a storage room: oy. What’s the first thing I had to purge, 5 years of Oprah magazines.
Very cool!!! I do some of the same things when organizing my space. I love that you say you don’t have a Pottery Barn studio but you have a working studio!!!!
I just wanted to pop in with a HUGE “thank you!!!” for posting this series when you did. I was planning to re-organize my room, but had no clue how to go about it. I followed a lot of your advice and just finished last night. It took two weeks, but I LOVE it and it’s going to be so much more functional. Thanks again for doing this! (Now to tackle the project of selling and donating everything I purged from the room!)
I have just recently created a little crafting place in a corner of a room. Yea!!! My question is…what is a functional way to organize 12×12 and smaller design paper. I have a rack for my solid paper but space doesn’t allow for another paper rack. Thank you.
I use boxes: http://balzerdesigns.typepad.com/balzer_designs/2010/01/recycleboxesintocraftystorage.html
I needed this inspiration, thanks!
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