One of my very favourite studio activities is The Tidy or (as in today's case) The Absorption of Acquisitions. When I'm not in the mood for starting something new ... or finishing something already started, there is always time for organizing bits'n'bobs.
I've been lucky to acquire some coolio stuffs of late. Not that I have room for it in my current studio but more, in anticipation of my NEW space. (Yes. At some point I will have to write about our new house build but until then, I am SO excited about this studio space.)
My latest score was a box of trophy finials ... mostly majorettes, mostly plastic... but some gorgeous metal ones. My favourite being the Monkey Girl Bowler ...
She's solid brass and HEAVY and while I'm not sure what I'll do with her (or any of them actually), I love just having her. (ruh roh. can you say hoarder?!?)
Also ... I had no idea there were so many variations and permutations of majorette trophy toppers ... a dozen in my small collection. And that's just the metal ones. Including one solitary dude.
My general modus operandi of adding something new to the established collection...
- Clean ... most stuff has been housed in less than stellar condition and needs a good wipe down
- Sort ... this is equal parts fun and 'lunch bag let down' part of the process. Fun because each piece holds the possibility of something Great. Something New. 'Lunch bag let down' because once I'm finished, the possibility sort of leaks out and down. I dunno. Maybe this is just me. But if you know what I'm talking about, I'd love to hear your version!
- Find a place for the New Stuff. This is kinda fun but also can be stressful particularly in my current digs. So much stuff. So little space.
- Put away.
And that last one is where I'm looking for input ...a change... something.
I'm very much an out of sight, out of mind kinda girl. Once something has been sorted and categorized and safely tucked away, I totally forget it exists. (and likely the major reason I keep acquiring stuff. I don't know what I already HAVE!) I need to find a way of organizing things ...I don't function well in a messy space... but can SEE things. Or easily access them. Or ..ugh... I dunno. Help???
In my new studio I'll have a long El-shaped bench ... one side will be desk height (under the window looking out at the lake), the long side will be a standup bench with shelves behind reaching to the ceiling approximately 12" deep and shelves underneath that will be 24" deep. I figure the lower shelves will have plastic bins to hold my heavy stuff. But the upper shelves? I need to find something that, while stashed, I can access easily. Initially I'd thought of those clear(ish) plastic shoe boxes. But I don't know if that will give me the visual I'm looking for. If you have some ideas or what works for you, I'd love to know! Please!!