It drives my wife crazy. When I clean, I pull every single item in a room out. What you see in the picture is my shed, barely tall enough to fit a rake, let alone my own self standing in the middle of it. But somehow, I've managed to organize everything that fits into the category of "man work" into that shed. In a sense, its my clubhouse. I am this close to spraypainting "Girls not aloud" on the front, but if anyone knows my wife, that'd just be an invitation.
Cleaning is a tad addictive, however, and now that I've got the shed done, I've moved on to the rest of the house. I love it. It gives me a chance to think, to slow down, and appreciate how exactly my mind works. Best of all, it somehow fine tunes my writing skills. Granted, reading will always be the best catalyst for writing, universally speaking. But for me, and I'm wondering about other artists out there, the process of re-organizing and cleaning my house is essential prep work for a season of good writing. I'd like to hear from others: does cleaning and organizing in one area of your life impact your production in another, or are you fine with clutter?
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I've done some of my best work w/ a messy studio but I still think it helps to have room to think. Am reading a book called 'The 100 Thing Challenge' right now: http://amzn.to/gygViZ It's interesting in the context of spring cleaning,
ReplyDelete"Girls not aloud." I need that sign.
ReplyDeleteGreg - I was thinking of you when I thought of artists who could work with clutter. Heck, some thrive in it.
ReplyDeleteKyle - Maybe I'll make one? Woodburner on pine? I wonder if the sign would look better if it were done with a professional clean look, with a nod to the irony that the man cave mentality doesn't necessarily change from boyhood to manhood.
I totally understand the clean space idea. I have currently been working on some reduction woodcuts, and after each color I print, I have to do more carving. But, before the carving begins, I have to clean up the previous carving remains...only to make more. Who knows, it's what works for me.
ReplyDeleteKevin - it shows up in your style. Whereas Greg likes pockets of chaos in his art, and avoids clean looks, you, sometimes by default, thrive with clean lines, especially in your carving. I'd imagine, though, that before and after clean up is healthy before you start your next piece. Thanks for reading.
ReplyDeleteWatched a documentary on Basquiat and his friends commented that you could tell how old a painting was by the number of footprints on the canvas. But I bet van Eyck was a neat freak.
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