release and get naked...

this release was urged on by this post.  thank you jenny!  we have been in our current home for about a year and a half and my studio has undergone two re do's already.  I had the perfect furniture all picked out for when we moved in and then it just wasn't working.

so I sold some pieces and started over with what I thought was my dream studio.  except that it now feels like it still isn't inviting.  I dabble in many areas.  I am a painter, a calligrapher, a book maker, I teach art workshops and also sew and whatever else I can get my hands into.  I have tried to narrow down my loves and tried to get rid of what no longer serves me.

that being said I still seem to hang on to things that might one day be useful in a class or project.  the thing is that these "things" are taking up space in my studio.  space in my head and in my heart.  they are weighing me down but what to do with them?

work in progress on the fold down table

the pieces that I painted, the bags that I sewed, the jewelry that sits.  some came back to me from a store that was consigning them for me.  some are etsy fails.  some are just pieces that I worked on and put aside.  where do they go?  do I just throw them out?  it seems like a waste.  and that is another thing.  I like to use recycled items in my art work so nothing is waste to me! 

sewing station with artists I admire wall in the background

 I used to have three bedrooms upstairs and now I have two.  it seems like some of the things have been stuffed in here because they have no where else to go.  like the printer!

the printer unit next to pieces already framed and works in progress

the corner unit was purchased so that the printer would be out of the way.  that whole corner unit really serves no purpose.  it houses the typewriter and some trinkets that are near and dear to me but other than that no real storage purpose.

the closet with all my filled art journals, books, paper and empty sketchbooks

 when I see it in pictures it looks like a disaster!  I have been working hard on my innards and it seems like my outer is not reflecting what I am seeking to feel on a daily basis.  peace.

great room

 we finally committed to a new couch for the great room.  the rest of the house seems so wide open and uncluttered.  people walk in and comment about how I haven't unpacked yet.  no, I have.  this is how I am.  simple.  things that matter are scattered about, but not a lot.

shelf with treasures from travel and friends

 we still need to buy key pieces of furniture but we hunt and then we freeze.  the uncertainty drives me insane!  my hubby keeps reminding me that our old house did not come together over night and to be patient.  I am all for patience but I need my studio space, my sacred space to feel inviting and peaceful.  right now it feels like a dumping ground.  it's like holding on to your old boyfriends picture that you might want to look at again one day.  although that is not a very good example cause I do have his picture - somewhere.  

dan's guitar sitting on a chair I found in a snowbank and refinished

 there are reminders of my loves all over.  it is a home and not just a house.  it feels peaceful and calming.  inviting and comfortable.  except for the studio!

bathroom shelf with more treasures and trinkets

what is the real fear in releasing these things that do not serve us?  albeit things we created and although they did serve a purpose through the process of creating them - now what?

I could get all caught up in using the old paintings and creating new ones over top.  yeah!  keep those!  blah!  ugh!  I thought about leaving them in public places for people to pick up if they choose, but isn't that littering?

it's funny.  I have no problem going into other artist's studios tossing and revamping but for some reason I am stuck with mine.  do I haul everything out and set up the furniture and only bring in what I use?  but I MIGHT use THAT someday....

I remember my mom who used to clean houses for a living and how she would toss out things to clear out spaces for her clients.  she always told me I had too much junk.  hmmmm....in going through her house and her things I discovered that the fact is she had a lot of junk!  she just hid it well.  on the surface her house was always clean and always tidy but in those drawers, boxes and closets was a whole different story.

I think she held onto things - just because too!

so let me pose this question to you today - what if you let go of something and it allowed you that space to live in peace and be open to all the new and wonderful things to come?  and I am not just talking about material things here.  think about it.  and let me know how it goes!