Saturday, May 14, 2011

Stuff

At what point does our "stuff" own us instead of us owning it? 


I guess I've always had a hoarding tendency - "that'd be cool used in..." So I'd save pieces of paper, telephone wire, anything that I thought might be cool used in a piece.  I often don't have a piece in mind when I buy the stuff, but think it's so cool that I must have it!


I recently got one of my father's desks.  I love it.  Underneath the top (which used to be part of a couch that Dad built when I was young) is an artwork done by a child in orange crayon.  Circa 1964, I guess. 



See all the stuff that I've collected to make Art?  That's only part of it.  I have much more that is out of the camera's view (on purpose).  That stuff crammed into the shelves behind the desk is not beading stuff - mixed media and paint. 


I finally began to tackle sorting my beads.  I knew I had a lot and wanted to go through them to let some of them go if needed and first and foremost, to put them in some sort of order so that I can put my finger on them when I want a specific bead type.  


I found that I'd bought the same bead, same color over and over.  Funny.  At least I'm consistent.  
This is a shot after the first gross sort.  Didn't take as long as I thought it would, but then a simple gross sort shouldn't.


Not done yet - I have 4 carts filled with beads and thread and tools to add to the sort.  


I think the finer sort and then storage is going to be the challenge for me.


I've seen the hoarding shows and Clean House shows on tv where they treat clutter as a negative thing.  


Is clutter and having things around you in a sort of chaos wrong?  I don't think so.  I think that there should be some sort of happy medium - isn't having no clutter at all also some sort of disorder?  


I know that I need a bit of chaos around me in order to create, but I also need to be able to put my finger on things when I need them.  I see some people's studios that are orderly and clean and I think of Einstein's quote: If a cluttered desk signs a cluttered mind, Of what, then, is an empty desk a sign?


Today's second quote comes from George Orwell:  Language ought to be the joint creation of poets and manual workers.