Organizing, digitizing, distributing and purging the kid’s art made me go very deep into the storage cupboards. While I was there, I discovered some folders of art I had kept from various art shows where I had a few unsold pieces. I still like these fun little pieces but realized I have moved some of them many times. That means they have been packed, moved, unpacked and occupied valuable space in my studio 7+ times over.
I love donating to thrift stores and do so often but something about donating these small art pieces didn’t feel right – they were very personal and also they needed to be framed in order to appreciate them fully.
My daughter, who was helping me with some other art projects commented on how my mindset was perhaps skewed and that others might benefit from them as they were. My husband reminded me of how everyone benefits when we share the things that no longer serve us. The bonus is that I would have more space for my new art projects that I am planning.
With fresh eyes I looked at this as an opportunity to thank my family and also people who have been so supportive of my work in the 30+ years that I have been making and selling art.
Borrowing a technique from my business partner Anne the closet organizing queen, I pulled E-V-E-R-Y-T-H-I-N-G O-U-T!
I sent out an email message and pictures to explain how I would love for these items to have new homes and that they were “Up for Grabs” free of charge. Of course, I am very sensitive to the idea that everyone else is decluttering too and in no way do I wish to add to people’s clutter! Also, as I said, many people already owned some of my art and I gave everyone the absolute green light to pass on it.
So I sent out the email and waited for the universe to tell me what to do.
I cannot express how much I appreciated the positive responses. Everything was spoken for in a couple of days and I am so grateful. The feeling of closure that I felt throughout this process was so helpful for me to move forward. A situation that was a giant drag became a great chance to thank my family and friends. I feel inspired and freed up now to start a new chapter of my art life.
In one afternoon, I got everything ready to go out and now have a beautiful fresh area to work in and I can easily access my supply cupboard. What affects our Creativity is not always logical but I think the take-away from this is to pay attention to your feelings and be open to the interpretation of others about the situation.
My husband was an inspiration when he was in the same boat, letting go of a lot of our beloved vinyl album collection. When we experienced the excitement of our daughter’s young adult friends coming over and basically taking the treasured albums off our hands we felt elated and free. It did not feel like a loss after all we both kept around 50 of our fave records.
Cliches come to mind about one person’s trash = another’s treasure but this is about what happens when the items don’t feel in any way like trash to you but you still need/want to let them go.
When we picture a specific person having something and enjoying it, the mindset changes to one of practicality and the stress disappears. Considering the current climate of stress and instability doing a small thing like this to improve your own little space can go a long way towards creating opportunity for major positive growth. On the road to larger paintings is where I am now:)
