The Big Studio Redo

Happy New Year!!!
 

With the holidays over, and routine once again resuming in our house, there’s a big project happening. Peter and I are doing some tearing out, wall repair, reorganizing, and reconfiguring in my basement studio, a big undertaking. I’m so incredibly lucky to have this space all to myself. It’s been used nearly every single day since I took over the space in 2011. I’ve done a little bouts of cleaning out and organizing here and there, but it’s time for a big reorganization. HUGE, in fact! There are several things that can be improved in this space and, although the initial pictures aren’t pretty, I thought I’d document it here.

In these photos, the work has begun, things are already being gone through (just so you don’t think I’m a total hoarder!).

Back in 2011, when I moved my studio in this space, Wise Craft was a hobby. Now? It’s become a business. I have deadlines, multiply projects of different kinds, writing, bookkeeping needs, mailing materials- all things that need to have space down there. Studios can be messy places, and this one will continue to get messy. Hopefully going forward I’ll have some systems in place that will allow me to tidy up faster and more efficiently. I’ve been gathering lots of inspiration on a couple of Pinterest boards. When things get ugly down there I can at least take a break and look at those.

I’ve been reading over the break to get motivated for this project, The Life Changing Magic Of Tidying Up by Marie Kondo. You may have heard of it, maybe even read. Marie is giving me the permission I needed to get rid of so many things I’ve been hanging onto for various reasons. While I doubt I will ONLY keep the things that give me joy (I don’t necessarily get joy from my glue gun… well, maybe I do), I realize the mental burden of having so much “stuff” weighs on me. A few years ago, I got rid of all my Martha Stewart Living Magazines (20 years worth!). Getting rid of those issues freed up so much space both in my head and in my studio, I never regretted it. But, looking back, I now know that I needed to go even further.
So, that’s what my early 2015 is all about, going through the process of getting rid of what’s truly not needed by our household or my business anymore, and really enjoying what we do keep. This is a big step that I’ve put off long enough. Wish me luck!