Inspiration Fridays! Cutting through the clutter.
Cutting Through The Clutter
Before I can start a new painting, I need to be able to get to my brushes! Welcome to this Inspiration Friday of Cutting through the Clutter!
“Get rid of clutter and you may just find that it was blocking the door you have been looking for.” -Katrina Mayer
It’s been a busy Summer. I haven’t even had time for much navel-gazing which tends to be a big part of my creative process. This year’s Learning to See course was incredible and we’re halfway through my alumni-only summer workshops. The work being created this year is over the top.
I’ve been thoroughly inspired and can’t wait to start my next series, but if I’m being honest, I have no idea what I want to paint! I’ve been spinning ideas around in my head, experimenting with little studies, and still feeling blocked.
At my studio, I realized that I wouldn’t be able to start a painting if I wanted to. There is no room. Old paintings hang on every wall and every surface is covered in clutter. If the Muse were to descend on my studio, where would she land? She might stub her toe.
My studio can get so full that there is no room for the work.
Creativity is messy. It’s explosive. I’ve also found it to be cyclical. After the waves of creativity come crashing in, the tide will again recede, and it’s time to reassess. Sometimes we can get so caught up in our heads that we fail to see what’s going on around us. Instead of beating ourselves up for feeling stuck, why not start fresh?
The first thing to do is to clean up our space and make room for new inspiration to emerge. Clutter has energy. E=mc². Even on the micro-level, the mass of all of this stuff can weigh us down. Because the universe abhors a vacuum, creating space also creates the desire to fill it (with new paintings)!!
Take down those old paintings and put them in storage or at the very least, turn their faces to the wall. Clear off your tables and easels, organize your paints, and set out some new canvases that are ready for work. Making space for new energy creates new energy. Before you leave the studio, have your palette ready to go, so that the next time you walk in, you will be ready to get to work.