Let me just say it is time for me to quit using the move as an excuse for not putting my nose to the grindstone and get my ass into the studio. I have been itching to finally be unencumbered, feed all the inspirations I have been amassing for months and make stuff. Technically I have set up the art studio. Fiber art, painting, journaling, soul work, reworking my business….all the creative stuff that I just love love love.
I grab my coffee, grab my motivational essential oils, head into my fabulous new space. And immediately am hit with this
Yikes! I mean this was the space just a couple of month ago
WTH happened?
I can handle a little bit of mess, because it is the nature of creatives to be a little messy. But this hot mess is an issue. Straight up, this mess is in the way of my being able to make art. And making art means business is happening. Business needs to happen for me to make a living. And to be honest, there are other business management things behind the scenes that need tweeking as well. It is counter intuitive to systemize creative work. But systems offer freedom to focus on the art projects at hand.
As we approach a shiny new year, I want to be able to start fresh with art and inspirations and flow. And because I also want to dive deeper into my blogging practice, I decided I would push myself with a nice little 31 day challenge to prepare my artist self to thrive in 2017.
Starting tomorrow, December 1, I am beginning the 31 Day Studio Awesome Challenge.
Studio Awesome Core Goals
To make sure I am not wasting time willy nilly with my tasks, I have come up with some core goals I want to focus on over the next 31 days. I am not just talking clean-your-room goals, I want my art business to be more efficient and poised to grow to meet my 1/3/5/10 year goals. So the Studio Awesome Challenge goals for the next 31 days are:
- Manage inventory (oy…this is huge)
- Rework space for new biz focus (I am so excited about the new stuff coming next year…gotta make some room)
- Systems in place for beginning of year (Streamlining to be able to spend more time creating)
- Happy space to grow my work (an inspirational comfortable place to make art is a big deal)
- Blogging daily for 31 days (I am sharing a big fat behind the scenes on how I work, and offer some tips and resources that will hopefully help you grow your art too)
The Master Task List
I have a nice clean list of 31 tasks. The reality is, I could totally add more tasks to this list. Looking through the list, some tasks are very small and will take very little time. Things unpacking the rest of my books, and hanging some art in the bathroom. Other tasks, like migrating my accounting/inventory system will take WAY LONGER. I am going to stick to a task a day at least for blog purposes, allowing some of the bigger tasks to bleed into other days. At least for now…we’ll see how it goes.
So tomorrow, ya’ll! I am rolling up the sleeves, and diving right in.
I will not be blitzing my main email list daily…but if you DO want an email notice when daily posts go live, sign up here:
Care to join me and get your workspace ready for a creative 2017?
Sign up for the Fiber Art Collective. Share some pictures and goals.
Sign Up for the UrbanGypZ Fiber Arts Collective
Fiber artist Stacey Budge-Kamison AKA UrbanGypZ lives and works in Cary NC. She can also be found knitting in public, hammering out her latest e-course at local cafés and spinning yarns in her booth at her favorite arts festivals. A designer at heart, Stacey has decided that her mission is to help fellow knitters, crocheters, weavers and felters embrace their own style and creativity by exploring fiber art as it is a part of their everyday life and helping them embrace the title of artist no matter where they are in their journey. 
I need to do this, too! I’m in. My studio space is a hot mess, too. Now, to get off my butt and clean it up!
Woot!! Awesome Stephanie! Let’s do this.
Oh Stacey, I can relate.
It’s bad, and you’re right, at some point it’s no longer just “creative mess.” It’s just “mess mess.”
I was going to attach a pic of my current mess, but I’m not sure if your page will allow it. No biggie. I wanted to show how I now have about four square inches of work space. It’s funny, but dang, not really!
Ha!
Good luck!
Indeed critical mass on the mess is a huge creative block. If the picture won’t load here, put them in the FB group or on the UGZ FB page.
My studio space is our great room and I have been pretty good in keeping it mostly tidy, but it still needs to be more functional so I am jumping in, too!
Um, yeah, I need this, too. I’m a writer with a bad fiber habit and an even worse habit of being messy. So I’ve got files and papers and yarn and tools…you get the picture. I LOVE the idea of making a list of 31 things I can do, one for each day of the month. I am so in!
Hiya Stacey!
I’m taking this challenge with you. Now that we are in our new home I’ve got to figure out where I’m going to store my knitting/spinning/dyeing/arty stuff…and also decide on where I will “do” my crafts.
You have inspired me to quit being afraid to make all those decisions and get it DONE….gotta get organized so I can get to the fun stuff.
Good luck whipping that studio into shape…give a shout out if you get lonely.
Come visit us at DTK on those days your chore list is small.
Hugs,
Kathi
The timing of this challenge is perfect! We relocated to the Ozarks in January, and downshifting has already reaped tons of benefits! Our house has an attached shop for me (huzzah!) and a DE-tached shop for the Hubs (two huzzahs!).
My biggest challenge has always been being crazy-VISUAL. If I can’t see it, I totally forget about it. I create when Im surrounded, a clean mess controlled chaos and all. Our house is a lodge-style Laura Ingalls prairie cabin kinda setup. We love it, but the extreme openness makes it harder to create my way!
I’m on board, Stacey! Perfect timing, and the ideas and support will be most welcome!
My studio which was for jewelry making was exactly how I wanted it…and then I started incorporating this beautiful sari ribbon I ordered…well you know how it goes…started combining it with art yarn I’ve had for years…made my own ‘Lowes’ loom and I just got my first drop spindle…and now the place has become ‘Christmas Central’ where gifts go in and get wrapped. I am committed to reorganizing and making it work however.