There is something inherent in the essence of this time of year that makes me ready and willing to
make all kinds of changes.
As the weather
heats up for those of us here in the
northern hemisphere I feel empowered and
inspired to take a long hard look at
the ways in which I am feeling weighted down
in my art and in my life. Today I want to
investigate two different ways in which
letting go of some of that literal and
figurative weight can help you be more
creative in your daily life.
SHEDDING SUPPLIES
I am of the belief that excess stuff can hold
you back in the process of creativity. A
couple weeks back I took some time to go
through my
supplies and weed out the "this and that"
that I know I am simply done with.
How do
I know when I am done with
something? Often it is a gut reaction - I
simply don't feel that same "holy cow I have
to use you right now" sensation or I can't
easily envision using it to tell any of the
stories I have on my list. Lately I really
seem to be sticking with the basics: words (word stickers, my typewriter, pen, or computer journaling), a bit of
patterned paper, cardstock, and my photos.
Pairing down on the supplies I have on hand
makes the process of choosing what I want to
use easier and I feel lighter and more
focused on my photos and my words.
Even if feel like
you can't justify getting rid of any of your
supplies right now, you may want to take the
risk and do it anyway. Letting go of those
products that are literally weighing you down
may actually
increase your productivity - the less you
have to work with the more creative you may
be (and it is that much easier to keep the
focus on the words + photos).
HOW & WHERE TO SHED THE STUFF
Here is my own personal process for going
through and
shedding my excess supplies:
ONE. I have always loved (and employed)
the idea of grabbing a couple boxes before
you begin to sort: one for donations, one for
a garage sale if that is on your list of
things to do, one for recycling paper, and
one for garbage (my goal is to recycle as
much as possible but no matter how many times
I go through my stuff I always come across
bits and pieces of things that just need to
be thrown away ).
TWO. I organize the majority of my supplies in
baskets, my lockers, or other containers. I am a "give
it a home" sorter when it comes to a
working system for dealing with my supplies.
This makes it easy when it comes time to go
through my stuff - I simply pull down a
basket and quickly go through the contents,
placing those things I don't connect with
anymore into my donation box (or other
appropriate boxes). The cool thing
about working with one basket at a time is that
you can do this in small increments of time
(rather than feeling like this is something
you need to set aside a whole day to
complete). Small chunks can make a big
difference over the course of a week.
THREE. Patterned paper: this one takes a bit
longer than the rest of my supplies to
manage, but man it feels good when it is
done. My papers are sorted by
manufacturer - this is the easiest system for
me since I need to keep track of those sorts
of things for publication purposes. Many
other people organize their paper by
colors, by pattern (geometric, stripe,
floral, etc), or by theme. I do keep all my
Christmas paper together as it makes it much
easier to locate and work with when the
holidays come around.
When it is time for me to go through my stash
of patterned paper, again I pull it out one
group at a time. I quickly go through and
identify those patterns that I just don't
love, that don't speak to me, that don't
connect with me. It may sound silly, but I
find it much easier and much more enjoyable
to work with patterns I love than ones that
do nothing for me emotionally. Don't hem and
haw and "maybe someday" - trust your
initial gut and go with it.
The one thing I keep in mind as I am going
through my patterned paper: there will always
be more and in the scheme of all my supplies
it is a fairly inexpensive thing to add.
FOUR. Another task I managed recently was sorting like things with
other like things. The punches that I use the most are stored on a shelf under my table. The pop-dot adhesives are now within easy reach in the wall-mounted unit that also holds stamps. My
question to myself: what do I love and use
most often? If I love it, I kept it.
FIVE. I am simplifying a lot of things. I went from a big red tool box (which was totally cool and is waiting in the garage for a new home in our home) to a much smaller container on the top of my table for storing pens and scissors. I am all about embracing what
it is that I love without going overboard
with excess stuff weighing me down. Try
it.
Now once you have a box of donations ready
there are tons of different ways you can
share your stash:
- Local school or early intervention program.
- Women's shelter.
- Create bundles of give-aways at the next
crop/event you
attend.
- Have a party to celebrate summer. Two ways
you can approach this - (1) have it be a
surprise. Invite your friends over and share
all your goodies or (2) tell all your
pals,
have them go through their stuff, and then
bring it all to one central place where you
can all share the wealth and then donate the
excess to a school, woman's shelter, etc.
- Charity auction for a cause you care about.
- Consider taking those supplies and making
something for someone else: a family with a
sick child, or a new baby, or someone who
needs some cheering up.
- Hospital.
- Church.
For most of these it is suggested that you
call ahead and connect with someone who can
direct you to the right person to take your
donation. Some places may be overflowing and
can suggest another location to share your
stuff.
PRODUCT CHALLENGE : Use something
you have been hanging on to forever. Rather
than reaching for your newest goodies - grab
an older product. Maybe it is
your favorite older product or maybe it is
one that you find as you go through your
stash - USE IT.
SHEDDING PRECONCEIVED NOTIONS & EXPECTATIONS
What thoughts about yourself as a creative
person are holding you back right now? Are you
dealing with those "I am not good enough/I am
not creative enough" fear-filled voices
in your own
mind? How do you answer that? Who do you
create for? Why do you love the process of
creativity and what do you love most about
it?
Now is the time to let those fears go
and shed
those layers that are holding you back from
embracing your own creative energy. It is
time to celebrate your own unique self rather
than continuing to feel
the pressures of being something or someone
you are not.
One way to do this: challenge yourself to
find your favorite thing you have created in
the past year. Identify specific things you
love about it: colors, textures, tone of
voice, photos, the story, etc. Then, over the
next couple of weeks, celebrate yourself by
repeating those very same things that you
love on other projects. In the process give
yourself permission to accept your creativity
just as it exists today, right now. Through
this process you are getting yourself ready
to move onto the next level in your personal
creative confidence.
GENERAL LIFE CHALLENGE : For many of you the
idea of going through you stuff and shedding
some layers may be just too much to handle. I
encourage you to take baby steps. Don't feel
like you have to accomplish it all in one
hour or one day or one week. Feel free to
take this project on as an extended challenge
for the next month. A little bit of
dedication will go along way in helping you
let go and move forward.
Originally
published May 2, 2007 as part of my AEzine newsletter series. I
will be periodically bringing content back from the archives,
updating/adapting, and re-publishing here.
