“Tidying is the act of confronting yourself.”

~Marie Kondo

Years ago, as we were preparing to leave New York and move home, my husband and I embarked on a massive project to declutter a large, 5-bedroom house. We had record collections and CD collections and thousands of books and videos. We also had way too many clothes and all sorts of other junk accumulated over more than 25 years.

The decluttering took months, and once the rooms were emptied, we were able to decorate the walls and polish the hardwood floors. When all that was done, we realised that the house looked and felt better than it ever had. If only we weren't about to leave!

Ever since that experience, I've taken to regularly decluttering my house. I don't fill cupboards up with junk. I try to be mindful of what I buy and I try to always keep everything tidy. It's not because I'm overly pedantic or houseproud. It's because I now understand what's good for my mental health.

The same is true for my studio ... when it's clear and tidy, I have room to think, room to imagine, and room for my artwork to flourish. Unfortunately, I am a messy artist. When I am in full creative flow, I have stuff everywhere. I pull out different colours and different materials and different tools and I don't stop long enough to put any of them away again. And let's not even get into what happens when I start working with collage!

I often admire artist studios that feel like part workspace and part home. Those studios are beautifully decorated with personal items, and have treasured trinkets and photos around the walls. There is often a comfortable arm chair and a selection of art books. The atmosphere is warm and welcoming.

But the truth is, I can't create that for myself. In my studio, those personal touches feel like clutter. They don't inspire me - instead they serve as a distraction. It turns out that an uncluttered space works best for my art as well as for my life.

So this week, as I prepare to start new work, I decided to give myself a clean slate. I spent two days on a thorough studio clean-up, finding a place for everything down to the last pencil. I took down every personal photo and cleared away all trinkets and then I started the process of gathering ideas.

My "Ideas Board'

This is my "ideas board." It's a large pinboard that serves as a repository for anything I like. Sometimes it's half empty; sometimes it's a bit haphazard. But after my studio clear-out, I also cleared the ideas board and then started from scratch.  I copied pages out of sketchbooks, I cut parts out of larger drawings, and I pinned some of my favourite collage pieces. I tried not to be precious about this, or to think about it too much. I simply wanted to choose instinctively.

This ideas board will continue to evolve over the coming weeks. I'm trying very hard not to overthink or to push the ideas too fast, before they're fully formed. At the moment, I think my job is to simply allow whatever wants to come through. 

That's why the big clear-out was essential. It created an empty space, which is now slowly being filled with the seeds of whatever is next.

My question for you this week is this: are you being held back by any mental or physical clutter? And what might happen if you cleared some space?