I’ve struggled with organization for a long time and that’s no secret. I want it and love it when it’s done, but it’s really difficult for me to figure out exactly how to organize things and the upkeep is incredibly hard. I look at other people’s tidy studios and wonder just how they got there and how in the world do they keep it looking that way. I don’t have any answers yet, but I’m trying.
When Sam Hunter, of Hunter’s Design Studio, told me she was starting a new business to help creative people get organized, I was eager to get involved. She started Creatively Sorted late last year, dedicated to helping those of us who struggle with keeping a creative space working for us (and not against us) through personalized and caring assistance. As much as I’d love to her to just come to my studio and tell me where to put things, that’s not how Creatively Sorted works.
We met up in Portland earlier this year and over coffee, we discussed my own feelings, thoughts, disappointments, frustrations, joys and wishes for my sewing studio. I had an opportunity to have a space again and I wanted (and still do!) to take advantage of it as best I can. It was incredibly insightful, in totally unexpected ways. I hadn’t realized that I was thwarting my own tidiness by expecting more tidiness than needed, i.e. instead of having a space for my marking tools, I had been trying to dial in down to marking tools for separate substrates. While this seemed logical to me, what I realized is that my having to be *that* organized made me more inclined to leave the marking tool on the table rather than finding the exact container it belonged in. Not helpful.
So as I’ve started putting my new KC studio together, I’ve been extra mindful of where things go and why: how does it make me feel about finding it? About putting it away? How often will I use it? Does it need to be tucked away or in line of sight? And every time I really wonder: Am I on the right track? I reach out and Sam is there, encouraging me and assuring me that I will get to the place I need to be if I just keep at it.
And she’s right.
I have been considering my fat quarter collection since I started unpacking boxes. None of the options that I’ve tried have felt right, comfortable. It’s been five weeks of staring at a pile of FQs on a shelf and in a nearby box. But every weekend, I wander the local shops and antique dealers hoping I’ll find something that feels right. And on Saturday, we found this beauty and I filled it up with (most of) my fat quarters. I love the look, the easy accessibility, the inspiration that comes from just seeing the array of color choices.
I think it’s going to continue to be a slow evolution as I spend weekends dialing in the studio to be the best studio for me. I’m excited to see it coming together bit by bit and know that in another month it will be even closer to the studio I want and need. Until then, I’m gonna try to figure out what to do with all my batik fabrics…
Happy Sewing!
P.S. If you struggle like I do, Sam is doing both virtual and in-personal organization help as well as virtual project management and will happily have a no-strings-attached chat with you. Reach out to her via creativelysorted.com
