Organization for the Minimalist-Adjacent Creative
If you are someone who doesn’t struggle to start a new project, but always has to fight to get to the finish line, then know that I’ve written this for you. It’s really easy for me to invest financially in my creativity, but it’s much more difficult for me to invest the emotions and time needed to nurture and cultivate a new skill. As a result, I end up with an abundance of supplies that never get used, and the physical reminder of “stuff left to do” and “projects left to start” can really get to my head.
As a medium for processing my anxiety, I made a habit of setting up an empty bin at my bedroom door, and challenging myself to fill the bin by the end of the night with things that are no longer serving me. I find it easy to get rid of books that I didn’t love, or a shirt that I only wore twice three years ago, but I can’t seem to let go of the paintbrushes I was required to buy for a painting class or the travel-sized loom I bought when woven wall hangings were all the rage; don’t even ask me to part with anything from my collection of pens.
So, to inspire me to find new ways to celebrate and honor the creative supplies I just can’t seem to get rid of, I looked to Pinterest for ideas as to how other creatives are celebrating the reality of their collection, instead of allowing it to overstimulate them. The truth is that I’ll never be a minimalist, and these spaces remind me that I don’t have to be in order to be my best self!
If this search has revealed anything to me, it’s that I am on the hunt for a vintage lateral file, and definitely need to start building on my frame collection. I love how so many of the images stack frames against a wall. I also love seeing how creatives highlight their tools, by hanging things like vintage folding rulers on the wall. It’s all about layering and stacking with intention!
These photos do not belong to the author; sources include: Apartment Therapy, Apartment 34, Nicole Franzen, Painted Hive, Pottery Barn, IKEA, and Elle Decor.